The Solomon Islands parliament has passed long-awaited anti-corruption legislation.
The Anti-Corruption Bill 2017 was passed yesterday which included provisions for the establisment of an Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Prime Minister Rick Hou tabled the bill this month, saying it targeted both the public and private sectors, including churches.
Transparency International in Solomon Islands said the legislation was an important step towards fighting corruption.
But it noted that the commission would lack retrospective power to investigate alleged corruption that occurred before the bill was signed into law.
