24 Sep 2009

Partner of French Polynesia's Flosse detained in Paris

1:33 pm on 24 September 2009

Investigators have detained for questioning the partner of the French Polynesian veteran politician, Gaston Flosse, amid a flurry of searches and detentions linked to the probe of the OPT telecommunications company.

Pascale Haiti, who is a former assembly member, has been detained in Paris.

This comes as the investigators in Tahiti have now released Mr Flosse's housekeeper, who had been questioned for 48 hours.

Mr Flosse has told the Tahititoday blog that he wonders whether detaining or jailing those close to him is supposed to scare him.

He alleges that the computer technician jailed in Tahiti last week was prevented from sleeping during the preceding two days when he was being questioned.

Mr Flosse says this is no longer the France he knows and that he has loved