15 Oct 2009

French Polynesia prosecutor targets Merceron for favouritism

2:39 pm on 15 October 2009

The public prosecutor in French Polynesia has called for the territory's solidarity minister, Armelle Merceron, to be declared ineligible to hold office for one year.

This comes after she appeared in the criminal court in Papeete accused of favouritism in awarding more than one million US dollars worth of audit contracts.

The prosecution also wants her to be fined 25,000 US dollars for approving the contracts in 2000 when she was the health minister under the then President Gaston Flosse.

A ruling is expected on December the 1st.