A former president of New Caledonia, Harold Martin, has been given a six-month prison sentence over the improper allocation of a telecommunications contract.
Telecommunications company OPT in the French Pacific territories. Photo: RNZI / Johnny Blades
The highest court in Paris upheld a ruling by the appeal court in Noumea which had also fined him $US70,000 and banned him from any public office for two years.
The case stems from a 2010 deal, when Martin was the board chairman of the publicly owned OPT telecommunications company.
Martin, who was also a Congress member and the mayor of Paita at the time, had defied the board to seal a $US29 million contract with an associate, Jean-Marc Bruel.
Bruel had also been given a six-month jail sentence.
The public service union has welcomed the ruling as its members had raised their concerns about the deal.
When the case first went to court, the prosecutor labelled the wrongdoing extremely serious, adding that it was similar to a banana republic where deals are struck behind the public's back.
Martin resigned as mayor of Paita two years ago but served out his term in the Congress.
Former president of New Caledonia Harold Martin. Photo: AFP