25 Nov 2013

Cocoa and coconut money heading to MP's offices in Solomons

6:42 am on 25 November 2013

Millions of dollars in development funds in Solomon Islands are now on their way to individual constituent offices, despite corruption warnings.

The Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination has just approved 1.7 million US dollars to be paid across the 50 constituencies, according to the Solomon Star.

Transparency Solomon Islands says its concerned that not all the funds will find their way to the cocoa and coconut grants they are destined for.

The Executive Officer Daniel Fenua says there are still members of parliament that have not submitted their accounts for the previous financial year and there is little accountability.

"I don't think that some of the money that has been allocated to coconut and cocoa will actually be spent in an accountable manner. Like in Honiara where we have three constituencies where we don't have cocoa and coconut plantations in Honiara and this begs the question of what will these MPs do with this money."

Daniel Fenua.