8 Oct 2009

French Polynesia's Tahoeraa assembly offices searched

4:35 pm on 8 October 2009

Investigators in French Polynesia have searched the offices of the Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party at the assembly as part of the OPT corruption probe.

The search lasted several hours and according to Tahitipresse, the investigators left the premises with some documents.

The party's leader, Gaston Flosse, is at the centre of the probe into allegations of fraud worth millions of dollars.

The search comes after Flosse's personal secretary, Melba Ortas, was released form jail where she had been held for three months as part of the investigation.

Also released is the Tahoeraa computer technician who was jailed last week on suspicion of destroying evidence.

He had been detained at the same time as Flosse's partner, Pascale Haiti, who was freed and charged with destruction of evidence.

Flosse has been charged with corruption.

He has maintained his parliamentary immunity as French senator after the senate leadership rejected a bid to have it lifted.