Only 12 are accredited

[NewsWhore]

Following yesterday's news about the astonishing number of consuls, vice-consuls and assistants earning salaries in the United States, investigative reporters Huchi Lora and Nuria Piera revealed that only 12 of the 182 appointees are actually accredited by the US State Department. The CDN Radio program that airs from 5 to 7pm on weekdays shocked its audience by revealing the salaries and the RD$40 million monthly budget for these 182 political appointees. According to the reporters, accreditation by the State Department follows Article 22 of the Vienna Convention, which says that, "citizens and legal residents of the United States cannot be accredited to serve as consular officials of a foreign government." A major problem was uncovered as former deputy minister for Foreign Relations and an expert on consular affairs, Jose Alejandro Ayuso called the program and told the reporters that any document or ceremony executed by a non-accredited "consul or vice-consul" was null and void. Obviously the ramifications of such a situation could be enormous, since vice-consuls regularly substitute for consuls and execute birth certificates, passports, marriages, and legalize documents. The seriousness of the situation is only emphasized by the fact that architect Eduardo Selman, the recently appointed Dominican consul in New York City, was not on the list of accredited officials. Selman could not be reached for comment.

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