The Aunty-Nephew Nexus writ large: New Caledonian former president jailed for awarding a large contract to an associate; case reminds us of Khaiyum dishing out all contracts to his aunty's company, and payroll job

9/11/2015

New Caledonia's criminal court has sentenced a former president, Harold Martin, to two years in jail, of which one year is suspended, over the way he awarded a large contract to an associate.

The court found Martin guilty of favouritism over the allocation of a US$29-million contract to an associate, Jean-Marc Bruel.

Martin was the board chairman of the publicly owned OPT telecommunications company when he defied the board to seal the deal.

The court also deprived Martin of his civic rights for five years.

Bruel was given a three-year prison term plus an $80,000 fine and banned from running a business.

His company has been ordered to pay a $450,000 US dollar fine and to be dissolved.

The prosecutor argued for Martin to jailed for betraying his public mandate.

Last week, his defence requested an acquittal, saying if it doesn't happen now, it would on appeal or once the matter was taken to France's highest court.

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4 Comments

Welcome Home

9/11/2015 08:44:20 am

An Appeal to the Highest Court in France. Did we ever give due care and attention when Without a By Your Leave we discarded appeal to the Privy Council in London? The alleged conflicts of interest are substantial by any modest estimation. Indeed they stare one in the face at each a very turn. Not unlike the painful wriggle that Lord Coe may have to perform in December over alleged doping corruption within IAAF which may prove larger and grimmer than anything FIFA has had to offer us. The world is an increasingly toxic swamp

Chiku

9/11/2015 08:49:42 am

You will always have politicians who do that - abuse their power - to favour associates, cronies and relatives in awarding contracts and engaging in other crooked, criminal deals. But in a society with the rule of law working the way it is meant to work, the offending politician and their partners in crime are hauled before a court of law to face justice for their wrongdoing, for their criminal conduct regardless of their status. That has happened in New Caledonia with this former President taken to court showing the rule of law reigns supreme in that country. THAT clearly is NOT the case in Fiji. The law enforcement bodies in the country are a disgrace. They are impotent and ball less when it comes to enforcing the law on the Thug Rulers of Fiji.

Fiji First Party

9/11/2015 09:36:57 am

Author Martin Meredith, a respected authority in African political economy, in his book “The Sate of Africa” describes how Zaire’s President Mobutu (known as ‘the Great Plunderer’) , reacting to wide-spread criticism of his regime, over corruption, in 1977, told his Party delegates that;

“If you steal, do not steal too much at a time. You may be arrested. ‘Yibana mayele’ – Steal cleverly, little by little” [The State of Africa, p303).

But our poor aunty Bano didn’t know Little, did she? We wonder what words of wisdom, the Con-Merchant Khaiyum and his pensioner- fund plunderer, bribe-taker, puppet will give to their CHOR Party delegates?

Bahuki

9/11/2015 09:58:58 am

Abuse of power is nothing new, only problem is that not many politicians like Khaiyum get arrested for it in contrast to other places like New Caledonia here due to a farce system of law.

If the military is nothing but pawns used in coups, then that would make the lawmakers and police look like a bunch of toothless tigers.

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The Aunty-Nephew Nexus writ large: New Caledonian former president jailed for awarding a large contract to an associate; case reminds us of Khaiyum dishing out all contracts to his aunty's company, and payroll job

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