Transparency Solomon Islands says police have to put more effort into trying to locate hundreds of thousands of dollars of confiscated beche de mer that was later removed from a government warehouse.
The 1.6 tons of beche de mer, worth about 1.3 million US dollars, was harvested in Ontong Java outside of a narrow window during which the government had allowed harvesting.
Transparency Solomon Islands' Daniel Fenua says it is believed that some MPs and police officers were involved in the removal of the beche de mer and he says the police commissioner must make investigating the disappearance a priority.
"If we look at the issue carefully we can see that our laws have been violated in terms of the illegal harvesting and the product was already confiscated by the police and stationed within the property and removed from the state property. So I think this should be one of the priorities where police should focus."
Daniel Fenua of Transparency Solomon Islands
