Jacques Lalié speaks to local media at New Caledonia’s Congress on 26 November 2024. Photo: NC la 1ère
The President of New Caledonia' Loyalty Islands province, Jacques Lalié, has been disqualified from contesting the next provincial elections after being found guilty of "favouritism" on Tuesday/
He was sentenced to one-year jail, suspended, a fine of about US$8700, as well as a two-year ban to hold any public office, with immediate effect.
An appeal court confirmed a previous ruling that found him guilty of "favouritism".
The case was related to a public tender to renew the Province's IT systems in 2020 for an estimated cost of around US$246,000.
The court said Lalié's choice among several bidders did not seem to be based neither on the price, nor on the quality of the service and equipment offered.
Lalié was elected president of the Loyalty Islands' provincial assembly in 2019.
It is the first time a New Caledonian province President is demoted due to a Court ruling since New Caledonia's three provinces (North, South and Loyalty islands) and their respective assemblies were set up in the French Pacific archipelago, in 1989.
The provincial elections are scheduled to be held no later than November 2025 and are regarded as crucial.
As the sentence also orders two years of ineligibility, Lalié, who belongs to the pro-independence Union Calédonienne party, will not be able to contest.
Reacting to the ruling at the end of Tuesday's Congress session, Lalié told local media he was the victim of a "political assassination" and that he "did not deserve such a treatment".
Lalié also loses his seat at New Caledonia's Congress.