NewsWhore
07-15-2008, 04:00 PM
US State Department and US Embassy officials met with Central Electoral Board (JCE) members to voice their concerns about identity fraud and to discuss collaboration. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Services, Bureau of Consular Affairs, US Dept. of State, Janice Jacobs accompanied US Ambassador to the DR Robert Fannin and Consul Mike Schimmel when meeting with JCE president Julio Cesar Castanos, JCE judge John Guiliani and Protocol Director Alejandro Vicini at the JCE.
Jacobs, who served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Santo Domingo in 2000, explained her visit: "I am here to visit the consular section, the Embassy and the Junta. We have spoken of consular affairs, such as citizen identification documents and fraud, and similar matters," she told the press. She said that there is tight collaboration between the US Consulate Department of Consular affairs and the JCE, "because we have the same interest in combating fraud."
During the meeting, the subject of undocumented foreigners in the country who are children of illegal residents was discussed. Castanos Guzman explained that as soon as the Migration Ruling is in effect, many Haitian nationals who live in the DR will be able to regularize their status if their parents can obtain legal residence in the DR. He said that Jacobs was pleased with the Libro de Extranjeria, the Foreigners Registry book where the offspring of foreigners whose parents are not legal residents or citizens are registered.
Castanos also informed that the JCE is in the process of creating biometric identification for Dominicans, and that this would be implemented once investigations into irregularities in the Somos contract for civil registry automation is finalized. He explained this would eradicate identity fraud.
The Listin Diario today editorializes on how Dominican taxpayers have funded millions of dollars in contracts to improve the civil registry, but these contracts have been rigged with unchecked corruption and have not produced the desired results of impeding forgery. The newspaper says that behind the problems is the impunity those found involved in fraud cases have enjoyed. "It is impossible that impunity continue to protect this disorder. This already transcends our borders and the weakness of our legal system is an embarrassment to us all," writes the Listin Diario.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)
Jacobs, who served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Santo Domingo in 2000, explained her visit: "I am here to visit the consular section, the Embassy and the Junta. We have spoken of consular affairs, such as citizen identification documents and fraud, and similar matters," she told the press. She said that there is tight collaboration between the US Consulate Department of Consular affairs and the JCE, "because we have the same interest in combating fraud."
During the meeting, the subject of undocumented foreigners in the country who are children of illegal residents was discussed. Castanos Guzman explained that as soon as the Migration Ruling is in effect, many Haitian nationals who live in the DR will be able to regularize their status if their parents can obtain legal residence in the DR. He said that Jacobs was pleased with the Libro de Extranjeria, the Foreigners Registry book where the offspring of foreigners whose parents are not legal residents or citizens are registered.
Castanos also informed that the JCE is in the process of creating biometric identification for Dominicans, and that this would be implemented once investigations into irregularities in the Somos contract for civil registry automation is finalized. He explained this would eradicate identity fraud.
The Listin Diario today editorializes on how Dominican taxpayers have funded millions of dollars in contracts to improve the civil registry, but these contracts have been rigged with unchecked corruption and have not produced the desired results of impeding forgery. The newspaper says that behind the problems is the impunity those found involved in fraud cases have enjoyed. "It is impossible that impunity continue to protect this disorder. This already transcends our borders and the weakness of our legal system is an embarrassment to us all," writes the Listin Diario.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)