By RNZ Pacific
French Polynesia’s former president Gaston Flosse has tested positive for covid-19, prompting a deferral of today’s appeal court hearing.
Flosse and the current President Edouard Fritch, who is also covid-19 positive, appealed against last year’s joint conviction for abusing public funds.
Fritch had been fined US$50,000 while Flosse had been given a suspended two-year jail sentence and been banned from holding public office.
The two had been convicted for their actions as current and former mayors of the town of Pirae from the late 1980s onwards.
They had arranged for the town administration to pay for the water supply to the upmarket Erima neighbourhood, where Flosse lived.
The appeal court case is now expected to be heard on November 12.
Flosse, who is 89, has not held office since 2014 when he was forced to quit the presidency because of a corruption conviction.
The French territory of Wallis and Futuna has reported its first case of covid-19 and the person is in isolation at the hospital.
The Northern Marianas total of covid-19 cases has hit 80 with three more cases reported.
This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.
