A former Solomon Islands health minister, Benjamin Una, has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail for theft.
The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation says he was jailed for stealing 5,000 US dollars of Taiwanese aid money provided for a cattle project in his constituency.
A month ago, Una asked the Honiara Magistrates court to give him one month to reimburse the money, but the court was told that he had only paid 686 dollars.
He asked the court to give him another month but the presiding magistrate rejected the request and sent Una to the Rove prison to serve his sentence.
The magistrate said Una abused his office by committing the offence.
He became a minister after the 2001 election when he was given the police portfolio.
