A French Polynesian lawyer taken off a major corruption case involving members of the government, James Lau, says those convicted have now taken over key aspects of the impending appeal trial.
In January, the criminal court gave the now president, Gaston Flosse, a five-year prison sentence and a 110,000 US dollar fine for corruption as it did to a French advertising executive, Hubert Haddad.
The businessman had paid about two million US dollars in kickbacks over 12 years to Mr Flosse and his party to get public sector contracts from the OPT telecommunications company.
Mr Lau, who was acting on behalf of the OPT, had secured a court order for the OPT to be reimbursed 5.6 million dollars.
The sentence was appealed and Mr Lau says while he was taken off the case a month ago for no stated reason, those responsible for the OPT could now drop the repayment demand altogether.
He has told the Nouvelles de Tahiti that this is a mafia-style affair with mafia-like behaviour discovered during the trial.
The OPT board is made up of seven people, four of whom are ministers in the Flosse government.