13 Jul 2009

French Polynesia's veteran politician, Gaston Flosse, ready to be jailed over OPT affair

6:10 am on 13 July 2009

The French Polynesian veteran politician, Gaston Flosse, says he is ready to be jailed in Tahiti if the five people imprisoned now in connection with the OPT affair are freed.

Mr Flosse made the comment in Paris to a Tahiti blog site as the French justice minister has asked the French Senate to lift Mr Flosse's immunity as a Senator.

The government wants him to be questioned over alleged mismanagement at the OPT telecommunications company.

If Mr Flosse's immunity is lifted, which could happen this month, he risks being jailed as part of the probe into the 10 million US dollar OPT affair.

It's alleged a French advertising executive, Hubert Haddad, has paid commissions to Mr Flosse to get public sector contracts.