Boris Léontieff
Mayor of Arue
In office
1989 – 23 May 2002
Succeeded byPhilip Schyle
Leader of Fetia Api Party
In office
1996 – 23 May 2002
Preceded byNone (Party founded)
Succeeded byPhilip Schyle
Member of the French Polynesian Assembly
for Windward Isles
In office
May 1996 – 23 May 2002
Personal details
Born19 September 1955
Papeete, French Polynesia
Died23 May 2002(2002-05-23) (aged 46)
Cause of deathPlane Disappearance
Political partyFetia Api
RelativesAlexandre Léontieff

Boris Léontieff-Teahu (19 September 1955 — 23 May 2002), was a French Polynesian politician and member of the Assembly of French Polynesia. He was the mayor of Arue, a small commune on the Windward Islands, and founder and President of the Fetia Api party until his disappearance in 2002.

He was the brother of former President of French Polynesia, Alexandre Léontieff.

The club pitch of the football team A.S. Arue in Tahiti Ligue 1, of Tahitian football was named after him.

Political career

Boris Léontieff was born in Papeete, French Polynesia on 9 September 1955.[1] He began his political career in 1989 as the Mayor of Arue, a small town on the outskirts of Papeete.

In 1996, Léontieff founded the Fetia Api party, which advocated for French Polynesian independence and opposed Gaston Flosse.[2] Journalist Jean-Pascal Couraud, who blamed Gaston Flosse for the closure of his newspaper, also helped establish the party.

Léontieff ran for the Windward Islands seats at the 1996 French Polynesian legislative election. His party successfully won one seat, and he was elected to the Assembly. At the same election, his brother returned to politics and successfully represented a pro-independence party, sharing the beliefs of his brother Boris. Shortly after this, Couraud went missing on December 15, 1997, and Boris Léontieff temporarily left his position.[3]

At the 2001 election Fetia Api won seven seats, and Léontieff was again elected to the Assembly.[4][5]

Disappearance

On 23 May 2002, Léontieff and Fetia Api members Lucien Kimitete, Arsen Tuairau and Ferfine Besseyre set out on a flight from Kaukura to Makemo in the Tuamotus to campaign in municipal elections. The plane was diverted due to bad weather to Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands, and failed to arrive in Makemo.[6] A sea-search was unsuccessful, and was called off after a week.[7] The French colonial government refused to delay the elections.[8][9][10] Despite a number of private searches, the aircraft was never found,[11][12] and Léontieff was declared dead in January 2003.[13] A 2005 inquiry into the disappearance by the Fetia Api party concluded that the aircraft may have crashed due to a fuel supply problem.[14]

In 2004, allegations that Jean-Pascal Couraud had been murdered by members of the Gaston Flosse's private police force, the Presidential Intervention Group (GIP), led to speculation that Léontieff's disappearance had been the result of foul play.[15] Allegations were also made that both Léontieff and Courard had been under surveillance by the Flosse regime.[16] The Assembly of French Polynesia began an inquiry in June 2005.[17] In 2009 a letter was found admitting guilt to Couraud's kidnapping, and a French judge investigating the case expanded their investigation to include Léontieff's disappearance.[18] The investigation found no explanation for the plane's disappearance,[19] and the case was closed in May 2011.[20] A claim for compensation by Léontieff's widow was rejected in March 2013.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Haupert, Yves (1998). Francis Sanford à cœur ouvert (in French). Au vent des îles. p. 358. ISBN 978-2-909790-64-0. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  2. ↑ Von Strokirch, Karin (1997). "French Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 1995 to 30 June 1996". The Contemporary Pacific. 9 (1): 227–233. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Conjecture, speculation and denial over a Tahiti journalist's disappearance". RNZ. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "Fetia Api — France Politique". www.france-politique.fr. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  5. ↑ Von Strokirch, Karin (2002). "French Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001". The Contemporary Pacific. 14 (1): 213–219. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Light plane carrying five disappears in Tuamotu in French Polynesia". RNZ. 24 May 2002. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "Authorities give up search for missing plane". RNZ. 1 June 2002. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  8. ↑ "Disparition de personnalités autonomistes polynésiennes". Libération.fr (in French). 2002-05-25. Archived from the original on 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  9. ↑ K, F. "9 ans après la disparition de Boris Léontieff, "les familles veulent faire leur deuil"". TAHITI INFOS (in French). Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  10. ↑ "French Polynesia election to go ahead despite candidates missing in possible crash". RNZ. 30 May 2002. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Private searches continue for plane missing in French Polynesia". RNZ. 7 June 2002. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Fresh search in French Polynesia for politicians missing at sea". RNZ. 8 October 2002. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "French Polynesian tribunal declares plane crash passengers officially dead". RNZ. 18 January 2003. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "New report into disappearance of French Polynesian plane". RNZ. 10 November 2005. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "Call for probe of disappearance of French Polynesian opposition politician three years ago". RNZ. 7 April 2005. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  16. 1 2 "Tahiti compensation case over Leontieff disappearance rebuffed". RNZ. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "French Polynesia to open probe into 2002 plane disappearance". RNZ. 3 June 2005. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  18. ↑ "French Polynesia's Leontieff probe to be revived". RNZ. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "No explanation of French Polynesia's 2002 plane disappearance". RNZ. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "French Polynesia's Leontieff disappearance file closed". RNZ. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
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