On a desert isle filling up with retired lucky Frenchmen:
Under rules dating from the 1950s, civil servants who serve out the end of their career on — or decide to retire to — one [five French overseas] territories receive bonuses to their pensions of between 35 and 75 percent.
The territories concerned are the Indian Ocean islands of Reunion and Mayotte, New Caledonia and French Polynesia in the Pacific, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Canada.
There are increasing concerns that civil servants are exploiting the system, some by simply setting up a bogus postal address overseas.
From 9,618 in 1989, the number of beneficiaries has jumped to 32,172 last year, with mainlanders now making up 83 percent of all civil service pensioners in New Caledonia, and 60 percent in Polynesia.
Not that the French legislature is all that concerned since they just voted, '186 votes to 16 to uphold the system, which cost the state EUR 250 million last year'.
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