5 Dec 2019

Anticor joins two New Caledonia cases as civil party

1:56 pm on 5 December 2019

Anti-corruption group Anticor has joined two high-profile investigations in New Caledonia as a so-called civil party.

Philippe Gomes

Philippe Gomes Photo: AFP

It has decided to involve itself in the case of the New Caledonian veteran politician, Philippe Gomes, who was this year charged with exerting undue influence while serving as both an assembly member and the chair of an energy company.

It has also joined the proceedings in the case of the Caledonia Together party, which is suspected of using public service staff for the party's campaigning in the 2017 French legislative elections.

Both cases are still being probed.

In a statement, Anticor said the rise in the number of cases involving politicians was a positive sign but nepotism was still all too present.

Philippe Gomes, the founder and leader of Caledonia Together, is a former president and now a member of the French National Assembly.