HONIARA (AFP) - A central bank worker in the Solomon Islands may have netted millions of dollars by depositing old currency notes he was responsible for destroying into his own bank account, police said Thursday.

Philip Bobongi was to destroy old and dirty banknotes but instead had used them to fill his own accounts and accumulate property and other assets, they said.

Although police were unable to determine how much had been stolen, the scam occurred over three years and the total could amount to millions of dollars, assistant police commissioner Peter Aoraunisaka told journalists.

Police also seized cash from the home of Bobongi, who has been charged with larceny, false pretences and money laundering.

The case was uncovered after central bank workers noticed that large numbers of old notes were still in circulation.

Police are applying to the courts to freeze Bobongi's bank accounts and seize several vehicles and properties.