21 Apr 2011

Tahoeraa mocks French lawyer as Tahiti phantom job trial opens

3:11 pm on 21 April 2011

French Polynesia's Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party has hit out at the French lawyer assisting the prosecution in the trial of 87 people alleged to have received illicit payments for so-called phantom jobs.

The party says Ralph Boussier's comments are an insult to the Polynesians who he alleges are unable to make free decisions.

In a statement, the Tahoeraa says the problem with democracy arises not in what the party does but with a lawyer who purports to be judge even before the trial has begun.

It also says that in French Polynesia's latitudes one can only smile when a Parisian term is used with Mr Boussier talking of a snowballing fraud of democracy.

The trial is the biggest in French Polynesia's history and examines alleged corruption and abuse of office emanating from the presidency run by the Tahoeraa founder, Gaston Flosse.