Hirohiti Tefaarere | |
---|---|
Minister of small enterprise, industry and mining | |
In office 19 September 2005 – 31 March 2006 | |
President | Oscar Temaru |
President of the Assembly of French Polynesia | |
In office 16 November 2004 – 14 April 2005 | |
Preceded by | Antony Géros |
Succeeded by | Antony Géros |
Assembly Member for French Polynesia | |
Personal details | |
Born | 19 June 1954 [1] |
Political party | Union for Democracy Aia Api |
Hirohiti Tefaarere (born 19 June 1954) is a French Polynesian anti-nuclear activist, trade unionist, politician and former Cabinet Minister who served as President of the Assembly of French Polynesia from 2004 to 2005. He was a member of Aia Api and the Union for Democracy. In 2019 he was elected president of anti-nuclear organisation Mururoa e Tatou.
Tefaarere worked for the Direction centrale des renseignements généraux, a police intelligence agency, before becoming general secretary of the A Tia I Mua union. [2] While still on the payroll of the French Interior Ministry he organised blockades in Papeete against the government of Gaston Flosse. [2] [3] In 1995 he led further riots against the resumption of French nuclear testing. He was arrested along with 15 members of his union, jailed, [4] [5] and tortured by French police. [1] He was later president of the O Oe To Oe Rima union. [6]
In late 2004, during the presidency of Oscar Temaru, he led a group of Union for Democracy MPs who challenged Temaru, delaying the budget [7] and boycotting the Assembly in an effort to gain ministerial positions. [8] [9] Following the annulment of the 2004 election in the Windward isles in November 2004, Assembly President Antony Géros lost his seat, and Tefaarere was elected president of the Assembly. [10] Géros was re-elected in the resulting by-election, and most Union for Democracy MPs supported him as their candidate for Speaker. [11] Tefaarere ran against Géros, forcing the election into a second round of voting. [12] Géros was successful in the second round, ousting Tefaarere as Assembly President. [13] In September 2005 he was made Minister of small enterprise, industry and mining. [14] He resigned from the post in March 2006. [15] Temaru refused to acknowledge his resignation in an effort to keep his replacement, Lela Temauri, in the Assembly for an upcoming vote, [16] but the delay was found to be unreasonable by the courts, and Tefaarere re-entered the Assembly. [17]
He was re-elected in the 2008 election, and left the Aia Api party. [18] Following the formation of Gaston Flosse's government, he was the To Tatou Aia candidate for Assembly President, but lost to Temaru, 27 votes to 28. [19] In August 2008 he formed the A rohi party. [18] He was subsequently made president of SETIL, the company in charge of French Polynesia's airports. [20] He lost his seat in the 2013 election. [21]
In January 2009 he was summoned for questioning for abuse of public funds as part of the OPT scandal. He subsequently accused the court of being politicised and corrupted by Freemasons. [22] In January 2011 he was convicted of abuse of funds and fined US$22,000 and barred from office for two years. [23] The conviction was overturned on appeal in June 2011. [24] In August 2012 he was fined US$1000 for contempt of court for threatening a judge investigating his management of SETIL. [25] In July 2015 he was convicted of attempted embezzlement of public funds while managing SETIL, and sentenced to three years imprisonment, with two suspended, and fined XPF1,000,000. [26] The conviction was upheld on appeal in June 2016, but the sentence reduced to two years suspended. [27]
In October 2019 he was elected president of anti-nuclear organisation Mururoa e Tatou. [28] [29]
Hirohiti Tefaarere | |
---|---|
Minister of small enterprise, industry and mining | |
In office 19 September 2005 – 31 March 2006 | |
President | Oscar Temaru |
President of the Assembly of French Polynesia | |
In office 16 November 2004 – 14 April 2005 | |
Preceded by | Antony Géros |
Succeeded by | Antony Géros |
Assembly Member for French Polynesia | |
Personal details | |
Born | 19 June 1954 [1] |
Political party | Union for Democracy Aia Api |
Hirohiti Tefaarere (born 19 June 1954) is a French Polynesian anti-nuclear activist, trade unionist, politician and former Cabinet Minister who served as President of the Assembly of French Polynesia from 2004 to 2005. He was a member of Aia Api and the Union for Democracy. In 2019 he was elected president of anti-nuclear organisation Mururoa e Tatou.
Tefaarere worked for the Direction centrale des renseignements généraux, a police intelligence agency, before becoming general secretary of the A Tia I Mua union. [2] While still on the payroll of the French Interior Ministry he organised blockades in Papeete against the government of Gaston Flosse. [2] [3] In 1995 he led further riots against the resumption of French nuclear testing. He was arrested along with 15 members of his union, jailed, [4] [5] and tortured by French police. [1] He was later president of the O Oe To Oe Rima union. [6]
In late 2004, during the presidency of Oscar Temaru, he led a group of Union for Democracy MPs who challenged Temaru, delaying the budget [7] and boycotting the Assembly in an effort to gain ministerial positions. [8] [9] Following the annulment of the 2004 election in the Windward isles in November 2004, Assembly President Antony Géros lost his seat, and Tefaarere was elected president of the Assembly. [10] Géros was re-elected in the resulting by-election, and most Union for Democracy MPs supported him as their candidate for Speaker. [11] Tefaarere ran against Géros, forcing the election into a second round of voting. [12] Géros was successful in the second round, ousting Tefaarere as Assembly President. [13] In September 2005 he was made Minister of small enterprise, industry and mining. [14] He resigned from the post in March 2006. [15] Temaru refused to acknowledge his resignation in an effort to keep his replacement, Lela Temauri, in the Assembly for an upcoming vote, [16] but the delay was found to be unreasonable by the courts, and Tefaarere re-entered the Assembly. [17]
He was re-elected in the 2008 election, and left the Aia Api party. [18] Following the formation of Gaston Flosse's government, he was the To Tatou Aia candidate for Assembly President, but lost to Temaru, 27 votes to 28. [19] In August 2008 he formed the A rohi party. [18] He was subsequently made president of SETIL, the company in charge of French Polynesia's airports. [20] He lost his seat in the 2013 election. [21]
In January 2009 he was summoned for questioning for abuse of public funds as part of the OPT scandal. He subsequently accused the court of being politicised and corrupted by Freemasons. [22] In January 2011 he was convicted of abuse of funds and fined US$22,000 and barred from office for two years. [23] The conviction was overturned on appeal in June 2011. [24] In August 2012 he was fined US$1000 for contempt of court for threatening a judge investigating his management of SETIL. [25] In July 2015 he was convicted of attempted embezzlement of public funds while managing SETIL, and sentenced to three years imprisonment, with two suspended, and fined XPF1,000,000. [26] The conviction was upheld on appeal in June 2016, but the sentence reduced to two years suspended. [27]
In October 2019 he was elected president of anti-nuclear organisation Mururoa e Tatou. [28] [29]