Bruno Sandras
French Polynesian politician
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Bruno Sandras (born 4 August 1961)[1] is a French Polynesian politician and former Cabinet Minister. He was a member of the National Assembly of France from 2007 to 2012, representing the 2nd constituency of French Polynesia,[2] as a member of the Union for a Popular Movement. He was Mayor of papara from 2001 until 2014, when he was dismissed from office after he was convicted of corruption.
Bruno Sandras | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Papara | |
| In office 19 March 2001 – 12 September 2014 | |
| Succeeded by | Christelle Lehartel |
| Member of the French National Assembly for French Polynesia's 2nd constituency | |
| In office 20 June 2007 – 19 June 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Beatrice Vernaudon |
| Succeeded by | Jonas Tahuaitu |
| Member of the French Polynesian Assembly for Windward Isles | |
| In office 2001–2005 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 August 1961 |
| Party | Tahoera'a Huiraatira Ia Hau Noa A Tia Porinetia |
Sandras was born in Papeete in French Polynesia.[1] After training as a lawyer, he was general secretary of the A Tia I Mua trade union confederation from 1995 to 2000.[3] He was elected Mayor of Papara in 2001.[4] From 2001 to 2005 he was a member of the Assembly of French Polynesia.[3]
In February 2005 following Jean-Christophe Bouissou's resignation he was appointed to cabinet in Gaston Flosse's government, taking over Buissou's portfolios.[5]
He was elected to the French Assembly in the 2007 French legislative election as a candidate for the UMP.[6] In the assembly he campaigned to retain a French military presence in French Polynesia,[7] and for compensation for French nuclear testing.[8] In 2010 the Nouvelles de Tahiti claimed he was one of the most passive delegates in the assembly, ranking him 516th of 577 members.[9] In 2011 he attended sittings for only 5 weeks.[10] He stood for re-election at the 2012 election, but was eliminated in the first round.[11] Following his departure from the national assembly he worked as a civil servant for the French Polynesian government.[12]
He was re-elected as Mayor of Papara in 2008.[4] In April 2009 he quit Tahoera'a Huiraatira, announcing plans to form a new party.[13] In September 2009 he launched the Ia Hau Noa party.[14] In February 2013, he quit the A Tia Porinetia party after a dispute over his ranking on the party list.[15] In 2014 he was re-elected as mayor of Papara.[16]
At the 2018 French Polynesian legislative election he attempted to establish a party list with La République En Marche!,[17] before signing a coalition agreement with Tahoera'a Huiraatira.[18][19]
Corruption charges
In December 2009 he was ordered to pay US$100,000 after a court found that the government had unlawfully spent public funds.[20] The order was overturned in 2011.[21] In October 2011 he was convicted for his involvement in the "phantom jobs" scandal and sentenced to a suspended sentence of three months imprisonment and banned from office.[22][23] The conviction was upheld on appeal in 2014.[24] A further appeal against the ban was rejected in 2015.[25] Following the appeal he was removed as Mayor of Papara.[4]