A criminal court in Papeete has fined the former president of French Polynesia, Oscar Temaru, for making comments amounting to racial discrimination.
The news agency Tahitipresse reports that he was fined just over 5,000 US dollars for the words used to express his reservation about immigration from mainland France.
The ruling Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party has welcomed the ruling, saying it hopes this will stop his xenophobic and racist remarks.
Mr Temaru, who is the leader of the pro-independence movement, has been pushing France to give control over immigration matters to the territorial administration.
