7 Mar 2013

TI Solomons says constituency funds must not go to MPs accounts

4:13 pm on 7 March 2013

Transparency Solomon Islands says constituency funds should be better accounted for and not go directly into the bank accounts of members of parliament.

The anti-corruption watchdog says more than 27 million US dollars was channelled through the constituency funds system but not all of it has been accounted for.

The Executive Officer for TI Solomon Islands, Daniel Whenua, says there is no mechanism to track how the funds are being spent although the government knows some MPs are misusing it.

"Every spending of this constituency fund has to be public. And we prefer a system in which this money does not go directly into the MPs account but there is a kind of committee that is created to look after this money."

Daniel Whenua says a bill is now before parliament to establish a structure to ensure there is transparency in each transaction.