Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Salmon wins release from Tahiti jail

Posted at 00:32 on 18 November, 2009 UTC

A key suspect in French Polynesia’s OPT affair, Geffry Salmon, is allowed to leave Tahiti’s Nuutania prison after six months in preventive detention.

According to Tahitipresse, the former head of the OPT telecommunications company and former head of Air Tahiti Nui is to pay a bail of 120,000 US dollars.

The OPT affair centres on allegations that a French advertising executive, Hubert Haddad, paid kickbacks to the Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party of Gaston Flosse kickbacks to get public sector contracts.

Mr Flosse was transferred to the Nuutania jail last week after losing his parliamentary immunity as French senator the week before.

His lawyers expected him to be released this week but now say this is expected to happen next week.

A joint interrogation with his personal secretary, Melba Ortas, is now reported to be held on December the 3rd.