Police in Honiara recover fake foreign notes

Officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) at the Honiara Central Police Station on 29 January 2019 recovered an alleged five hundred Euro fake Note and an alleged United States fifty dollar fake Note.

“The fake Notes were recovered by shift officers from Honiara Central Police Station and they were worth around SBD$6,500.00 (for the Euro Note) and around SBD$400.00 (for the USD Note),” says Commissioner Matthew Varley of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) when addressing local media.

He says, “The recovery was done by police from the Coral Seas Casino located in the Town Ground area in West Honiara, after police were alerted of a dispute between staff of Coral Seas Casino and presenters of the alleged fake notes.”

All the alleged fake notes have been handed to Honiara Central Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further enquiry as exhibits.

The Central Bank of Solomon Islands has been alerted of the discovery.

Police had questioned three of the local adults who presented the alleged fake notes and released them as investigations by the police established the adults did not know the notes were fake. But the investigations into the discovery are continuing.

“Members of the public are urged to provide any information about the source of the fake notes to the police.

It is an offence (Imitation of currency section 365 of the Penal Code under the laws of Solomon Islands to knowingly present fake notes for use to buy goods in the country, or convert the fake foreign currency.