NewsWhore
10-03-2006, 06:10 PM
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) receives over 200 applications a day for Dominican ID cards (cedulas) from Haitian citizens using fake birth certificates. JCE investigators have not established who is behind the "mafia" that sells these birth certificates to Haitian nationals. The black market in illegal documents has become big business in the country, according to JCE officials. The high number of Haitians with fake birth certificates applying for ID cards is reported at both the National District and Santo Domingo province JCE offices, according to a report by Diario Libre. Juan Carlos Sanchez, director of the ID department at the JCE, told Diario Libre that the process includes the submission of birth certificates that aren't registered in the books at city halls, using the legal birth certificate of a person who has never applied for a cedula, or using birth certificates belonging to dead people.
The foreigners are reportedly paying between RD$3,500 and RD$4,000 for the fake documents.
JCE officials admit that they are not fully equipped to deal with Haitians who try to obtain Dominican documentation illegally, or with foreign and Dominican criminals who are fugitives from justice, who come to the country and obtain false documents. A recent report by Diario Libre claims that the Dominican Republic is becoming a target for criminals avoiding prosecution, since it is relatively easy to obtain fake documents here. The Director of the Civil Registry Servio Tulio Almanzar concurred with colleague Juan Carlos Sanchez that the ease with which forged documents can be obtained is alarming, but that it will be almost impossible to stop until there is a standardization of the identification card process. Sanchez said that fingerprint testing technology would eliminate the practice.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)
The foreigners are reportedly paying between RD$3,500 and RD$4,000 for the fake documents.
JCE officials admit that they are not fully equipped to deal with Haitians who try to obtain Dominican documentation illegally, or with foreign and Dominican criminals who are fugitives from justice, who come to the country and obtain false documents. A recent report by Diario Libre claims that the Dominican Republic is becoming a target for criminals avoiding prosecution, since it is relatively easy to obtain fake documents here. The Director of the Civil Registry Servio Tulio Almanzar concurred with colleague Juan Carlos Sanchez that the ease with which forged documents can be obtained is alarming, but that it will be almost impossible to stop until there is a standardization of the identification card process. Sanchez said that fingerprint testing technology would eliminate the practice.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)