Since being removed from office he has been convicted of manslaughter, abuse of public funds, and ignoring labour laws over actions taken while managing the GIP.
[13] In March 2010 he was convicted of ignoring labour laws over a scheme in which he used GIP staff to transfer tuna boats from China and South Korea to French Polynesia for his private fishing business.
[16][17] In December 2019, the administrative court of French Polynesia ruled that he did not have to reimburse the government for compensation paid to the families of the victims.
[18] In July 2013 he was charged with kidnapping and forcible confinement as part of an organised criminal gang over the 1997 disappearance and murder of journalist Jean-Pascal Couraud.
[19][20] In April 2014 Le Monde leaked wiretap recordings in which Puputauki discussed the murder of Couraud with two of his GIP subordinates.