Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Solomons’ Government to investigate workers who helped RAMSI survey

Posted at 07:36 on 02 October, 2007 UTC

The Solomon Islands Finance Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo, has ordered an investigation into the involvement of Statistics Division staff in the People’s Survey done on behalf of the Regional Assistance Mission, RAMSI.

A government press release says that Mr Lilo was horrified to learn that tens of thousands of dollars had been paid to staff who worked in a private capacity on the survey.

He says the staff had acted without his approval and their involvement was later used to authenicate the survey.

Mr Lilo says the behaviour of ANUTech, the company which conducted the research, was disgraceful and corrupt.

The People’s Survey, released last week, showed that 90 percent of Solomon Islanders want the RAMSI mission to stay in the country but the Government has dismissed the results as not credible.