PAPE’ETE,19 OCTOBER 2018 (RNZ PACIFIC) – French Polynesia’s pro-independence opposition Tavini Huiraatira party says its leader Oscar Temaru won’t lose office over alleged breaches of the electoral law.
In August, the French national commission vetting campaign contributions and expenses rejected Temaru’s return and referred his case to the top administrative court.
The Tavini now says it has been notified by experts advising the court that the discrepancies in the accounts are not of a magnitude warranting Temaru’s suspension.
The court’s ruling in the case is expected in two weeks.
The party had sent additional documentation after the commission found that an entry of US$36,000 by Temaru was not explained properly.
The Tavini campaigned in the May territorial election on the issue of probity as the ruling Tapura Huiraatira fielded many candidates with corruption convictions, including the president Edouard Fritch and the assembly president Gaston Tong Sang.
