(BASED ON A PRESS RELEASE)— PAPE’ETE, November 13— French Polynesia’s government, which is currently seeking to cut costs and tighten financial controls, intends to sell its ATR-42 plane, purchased six years ago and has since been widely nicknamed “Air Flosse One”.
The turboprop aircraft was purchased in 2003, under former President Gaston Flosse’s administration for a total amount of some $18 million US dollars. At the time, the purchase was said to be in response to the needs of the government to have its own means of transportation to reach remote island communities.
But the plane, and especially the way it was used, had since been slammed by an Auditor General’s report, two years ago.
The report said the plane was utilised “non-optimally” and was most often used by Flosse himself for overseas travels in the region, hence its nickname of “Air Flosse One”.
Earlier this week, the veteran politician was taken to jail as part of a “temporary detention” measure requested by investigating judges who are currently prosecuting a number of cases involving the former President, who however remains a member of the French Senate.
The cases involve a range of matters, including allegations of corruption, embezzlement and destruction of evidence.
The measure, which was endorsed by the most recent cabinet meeting in French Polynesia, comes as French Polynesia’s President Oscar Temaru this week tables his 2010 budget in a climate of economic hardships affecting one of the French Pacific territory’s main pillars: the tourism industry.
French Polynesia’s Vice-President Antony Géros told the daily newspaper Les Nouvelles de Tahiti on Friday (Thursday Tahiti time, GMT-12) the cost-cutting measures would also target a plethoric government vehicles’ fleet.
Air Flosse One was part of a damning French Auditor General’s 2006 report.
The same French Auditor General’s report published in February 2007 also slammed other dubious financial practices of French Polynesia’s former administration, including ongoing lack of transparency and in some cases, the setting up of what the auditors refer to as “parallel” administrations and bodies.
The 2006 report found that between 1991 and 2005 French Polynesia’s administration and financial practices has been marred with serious “drifts”. It also expressed concern at moves, during the scrutinised period, that led to the setting up of the local government’s own secret police and intelligence.
The report mainly targeted previous governments of French Polynesia, under the rule of former President Gaston Flosse.
More generally, the document said the French Polynesia’s government staff (totalling at the time some 5,200 employees), had constantly been “oversized” and has, over the years, built up into some king of a “parallel administration” with 626 cabinet members and permanent secretaries recruited under “very simplified procedures that evaded legal checks and balances”.
France, each year, injects close to two billion US dollars into French Polynesia (with a population of just over 250,000) in direct aid.
“The abundant resources, which are also likely to become more difficult to mobilize in future years, have allowed this overseas community to engage ever-increasing spending”, the 2006 report warned.
The report recommended that, in future, budgetary follow-up procedures and checks and balances be put in place “in order to avoid numerous dysfunctions and waste that the audit has revealed.”
(Source: Oceania Flash)
