French Polynesia's pro-independence leader and mayor of Fa'a Oscar Temaru has been given a suspended six-month prison sentence over the funding of a local radio station.
Oscar Temaru Photo: RNZI
The court in Papeete has also fined him $US50,000 after it ruled that the funding arrangement for Radio Tefana amounted to undue influence.
The sentence is his first criminal conviction.
The court didn't deprive him of his eligibility to hold office although he last year lost his assembly seat for producing deficient campaign funding accounts.
The current and former chairs of the board of the association which runs Radio Tefana, Heinui Le Caill and Vito Maamaatuaiahutapu, have also been given suspended jail sentences of one and three months respectively.
Radio Tefana has been fined $US1 million.
At the time of his trial in June, Mr Temaru said if he had to be convicted he should be jailed for life.