Implicated in a case of illegal taking of interests and favoritism, the former Minister of Health of French Polynesia Jacques Raynal was placed in police custody on November 10, learns 20 minutes from a source close to the case. Investigators from Ocliff (central office for the fight against corruption and financial and tax offenses of the judicial police) suspect the elected official, who was in office between January 2017 and May 2023, of having “continued to give advice to managers” of the company Fenua Medex, which he co-founded before his appointment, a police source tells us. Two managers of this company were also arrested and taken into custody by the police. The three men walked free, with no charges at this stage.
Judicial police investigators also suspect Jacques Raynal of having, when he was minister, favored his former company, which won several calls for tenders placed by the administration, as recently explained in an article in Tahiti info. The amount of contracts signed by Fenua Medex amounts to 2.3 million euros. Three searches were carried out last November. The investigation, carried out by the national financial prosecutor’s office, continues.
A vast European operation
While December 9 marks the 20th anniversary of International Anti-Corruption Day, “this file perfectly illustrates the work of the services which are mobilized on a daily basis on these complex cases,” underlines a source close to the file.
Ocliff, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, oversaw a vast operation at European level last month, in which 13 other states wished to participate. “The objective was to strike hard against corruption and to make it known,” explains another police source. Of course, financial crimes are not the most visible form of crime. “But we wanted to show that this does not prevent us from taking these cases seriously, whatever the profile of the people involved. »
Result of the operation: in November, 49 corruption cases were handled in Europe by the investigation services, including that involving Jacques Raynal. 233 suspects or people implicated in these cases were interviewed, and 267 searches carried out. In addition, 5.596 million euros were seized.