The appeal court in French Polynesia has again deferred the case of three men, including the pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru, who in 2019 were given suspended prison sentences and fines.
Oscar Temaru, mayor of Faaa since 1983 Photo: supplied FB
They were convicted in the criminal court for exercising undue influence over funding arrangements for a community station, Radio Tefana, which were found to benefit Temaru's political party.
The defence secured a deferral until 29 August as it challenges the probity of the process because the prosecutor Herve Leroy had opened a new case against Temaru.
Leroy ordered the seizure of his savings of $US100,000 after alleging that the defence lawyers had been unduly paid their fees by the town administration of Faa'a whereTemaru had been mayor.
Temaru then took Leroy to court for portraying him as guilty although the appeal case had not yet been heard.
That case was transferred to New Caledonia because the court in Papeete found it could not deal with it impartially.
The move by Leroy is still being examined, with the appeal court agreeing that the case needs to wait until the legality of the fund seizure has been established.
After being convicted in 2019, Temaru said he was being punished because in the eyes of France he committed treason by taking French presidents to the International Criminal Court over nuclear weapons tests.
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