Pacific

No explanation of French Polynesia's 2002 plane disappearance

07:08 am on 25 January 2011

The judicial investigation has been completed in French Polynesia into the unexplained disappearance of four politicians nine years ago.

No charges have been laid and the case is likely to be closed.

Walter Zweifel reports

"As part of their election campaign, the leading opposition politicians at the time, including Boris Leontieff and Lucien Kimitete, were travelling in small plane in theTuamotu archipelago when it disappeared. No wreckage has ever been found, giving cause to speculation that there may have been foul play or that the aircraft may have been diverted. Several investigations failed to explain what happened. The politicians' wives even approached the French president to explore if the United States took satellite images of the Tuamotus at the time of the presumed crash. Without any result, the file is expected to be closed soon."