France's highest court has rejected an attempt by a former French Polynesian president, Gaston Flosse, to throw out a 2008 assessment of misspending of public funds.
At the time, the assembly concurred with the accounts office that between 1996 and 2004 Flosse had made the government pay salaries to 14 people for activity which had nothing to do with the running of the territory.
The misspent sum in question is just over US$2 million.
The ruling in Paris comes after Flosse unsuccessfully took the matter to the administrative court in Tahiti and the appeal court in Tahiti.
A decision on whether Flosse and 20 others linked to the affair will have to reimburse the public purse is expected in two months.
Flosse lost office last year because of a corruption conviction.
Former French Polynesian President, Gaston Flosse Photo: AFP
