9 Sep 2013

Flosse appeal case may be moved from French Polynesia

1:27 pm on 9 September 2013

Press reports from French Polynesia say the prosecutor at France's highest court appears to be in favour of moving the court of appeal case of the president Gaston Flosse away from Tahiti.

Gaston Flosse has described his conviction for corruption as a political move at the behest of the former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Walter Zweifel reports.

"In January, Gaston Flosse was given a five-year prison sentence for corruption as was a French advertising executive, Hubert Haddad. He had paid about two million US dollars in kickbacks over 12 years to Mr Flosse and his party to get public sector contracts. Mr Flosse now wants the appeal case to be taken to a court outside Papeete, and Paris should make a decision in a month. Should he lose his appeal, there is one higher court left. That court is still due to rule this year in another corruption case that can potentially end the 82-year-old politician's career. Should his appeal fail and the state apply the court verdict, he would have to relinquish his political office."