The fines for the 40 crew members and three captains of the Vietnamese blue boats for illegally staying in the country are now paid.
This was confirmed in court on Monday by Immigration Officer Chris Akosawa who appeared on behalf of the matter.
He said the total fine of USD$4,300 had been transferred to the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) account through the Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI).
Akosawa asked the court for an extension of the detention order for another 14 days to allow the crew members to wait for their flights back to Vietnam.
The first four crews will leave the country today whilst the second batch of nine crews will leave on Friday.
The rest will leave on May 29. Meanwhile the three captains who are also facing charges under the Fisheries Management Act will remain in custody until their matter is dealt with by the court.
The 40 crew members and three captains were each imposed with a US$100 each, which totalled up to US $4,300 and equivalent to about SBD$33, 454.