A commercial bank account “illegally” operated by the CUSTOMS and Excise Division of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury has reportedly been closed down, it was revealed yesterday.
The “Customs Revenue Holding Account”, Acct No. 2001203943, was opened with Bank South Pacific (BSP) earlier this year.
Proceeds from sales of vehicles auctioned by Customs were deposited in the BSP Account which by April this year had shown a balance of $274, 000. It is not clear who the signatories to the account were.
The funds deposited in the account were proceeds of sales of five vehicles, documents obtained by Solomon Star show.
The five vehicles were:
- A 1991 Toyota/HZ177-002023/TKAF2-F1810-P, which sold for $108, 000;
- A 2001 Toyota/IAZ-FSE/TA-ACAZIW-AWPSH-L, which sold for $60, 000;
- A 2003 Toyota/AZT241-0011056/I AZ-FSE, which fetched $35, 000 in price;
- A Caldina 3-172 2002 Toyota/AZT241-0006229/TK-AF2-F1812-P which sold for $38, 000; and
- A Caldina 3/32 2004 Toyota/I AZT246-0011973/FKAF2-F1810-P, which sold for $33, 000, according to acknowledgement Receipts issued as proof of sale.
All proceeds, according to the Acknowledgement Receipts were deposited in the BSP Bank Account.
A check with the BSP Bank found no record of such an account.
But sources later told Solomon Star the account no longer existed because it had been removed following a visit by investigators from the newly-created corruption watchdog, the Solomon Islands Anti-Corruption Commission.
Solomon Star was unable to independently confirm this with the SIACC.
But a former senior official of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury said earlier this week no government department or institution is allowed to operate a bank account without the approval of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.
“You are only allowed to operate a commercial bank account outside government bank accounts on the approval of the Permanent Secretary,” the former official said.
It is not clear whether such approval was sought and granted.
By Alfred Sasako
Newsroom, Honiara
