The French Polynesian territorial assembly is poised to hire the recently convicted former president, Gaston Flosse, as a member of the ruling party's staff.
This has been confirmed by Marcel Tuihani, who this week was elected assembly president on the recommendation of Flosse - the leader of the Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party.
Mr Tuihani says the party has the discretion to hire competent people with a vision and in the country's interest.
Last Tuesday, France's constitutional court stripped Flosse of his seat in the French Senate because of a corruption conviction.
This came ten days after Flosse lost the presidency in French Polynesia and his seat in the territorial assembly because France's highest court upheld a four-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 170,000 US dollars.
He was also banned from holding office for three years, yet he says he plans to stand in 2018.
Tahiti's daily recently reported that Flosse was the French Senate's only member not to attend a single sitting in the past year while drawing a full salary.
The French Polynesia parliament building Photo: RNZ
