Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TEGUCIGALPA1333
2006-07-26 19:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Cable title:  

HONDURAS NATIONAL REGISTRY OF PERSONS: ORGANIZATIONAL

Tags:  PGOV SMIG PHUM ECON PREL KFRD HO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTG #1333/01 2071927
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261927Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY TEGUCIGALPA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2809
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001333 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CEN, DRL/PHD, CA, AND DS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SMIG PHUM ECON PREL KFRD HO
SUBJECT: HONDURAS NATIONAL REGISTRY OF PERSONS: ORGANIZATIONAL
REFORM HAS VARIED RIPPLE EFFECT

REFTEL (A) Tegucigalpa 1181
(B) Tegucigalpa 1124 and previous

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001333

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CEN, DRL/PHD, CA, AND DS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SMIG PHUM ECON PREL KFRD HO
SUBJECT: HONDURAS NATIONAL REGISTRY OF PERSONS: ORGANIZATIONAL
REFORM HAS VARIED RIPPLE EFFECT

REFTEL (A) Tegucigalpa 1181
(B) Tegucigalpa 1124 and previous


1. Summary: In early June, the Honduran National Congress discussed
amending Article 54 of the Constitution in order to make changes in
the directorate of the National Registry of Persons (RNP),the GOH's
civil registry. The RNP has often been used as a political tool and
the proposed changes were meant to rotate the organization's
directorate and balance the power more evenly among individuals in
charge. However, among the proposed changes was an amendment to
strip the organization of its autonomy, a step back in the effort to
de-politicize the RNP. Congress may finalize these changes now that
it has returned from recess July 4, but the recent scandal involving
two Cameroonians who obtained false passports has brought a new
sense of urgency to the need for reform in this area. The ability
for people to unlawfully obtain documents through the RNP compounds
the political issues by creating a situation in which fraudulent
documents could potentially be used as part of trafficking in
persons or for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining U.S. visas
using an assumed identity. Meaningful change in the RNP thus
becomes a pressing matter not only of electoral integrity, but also
of human rights and national security. End Summary.


2. The National Register of Persons (RNP) was formerly part of the
National Electoral Tribunal, until it became an independent entity
in 2003 electoral reforms in order to separate it from the newly
created Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). The RNP is the body
responsible for registering persons into a national database and
administering vital personal documents such as birth and death
certificates and the national identity card, known as a "cedula".
Currently, Congress elects a director and two sub-directors to head
the organization.


3. Given the current method of electing the organization's
directorate, the reforms of 2003 did not serve to de-politicize the
RNP. The national identity card is requisite for voting in

Honduras, but many Honduran citizens have not received their
identity documents in time for elections, and corrupt politicians
have allegedly been able to use their influence to gain votes from
unregistered, or in some cases deceased, persons by providing false
identity documents to their supporters. As a June 20 editorial from
"La Prensa" states: "The issuance of personal documents has been
almost exclusively conditioned by electoral demands."


4. The need for institutional reform at the RNP was a topic under
discussion at the last session of the Honduran National Congress
that recessed in June, in which the following changes were proposed:
1) restructuring of the directorate to replace the director and two
sub-directors with three directors, representative of the five
different political parties (these directors would be hierarchically
indistinct but would be assigned differing technical, administrative
and executive duties); 2) placing the directorate on a one year
rotation; and 3) suspending the phrase "autonomous" from the RNP's
mandate (Article 54 of the Honduran Constitution). The last
proposed change would reverse the effect of decentralizing the RNP.
This begs the question of who the RNP will answer to if it is
re-centralized and, consequently, whose political will it may be
made to serve. The argument made by Congress to justify this shift
was that the RNP cannot be considered an autonomous, decentralized
institution according to their Law of Public Administration, in part
because Congress elects its directors. Here, then, it becomes
apparent that, while rotating membership (as is done at the TSE)
could be an important step towards alleviating the political
pressures placed on the RNP, stripping away the organization's
autonomy is likely to only politicize it further.


5. Politicization and corruption in the RNP may also have serious
ramifications beyond electoral issues. The June 9 detention of two
Cameroonian citizens who had obtained Honduran passports brought
many of these issues to a head (reftels). According to a June 16
article in "El Tiempo", thousands of Hondurans have never registered
for their identity cards. As a result, those who provide false
documentation can register a non-Honduran under the name of someone
who has yet to register. The trafficker providing the documentation
must have a contact within the RNP who has access to the database.
This allows the person receiving the documents to be prepped on the
correct answers about their family history, etc., which then allow
them to register and apply for an identity card. Individuals with
fraudulent documentation are then able to apply for Honduran
passports, which they can use to travel to a third country and often
to apply for a visa to travel to the U.S.


6. The current case that has brought this issue to the fore is not
believed to be isolated. Julian Suazo, the RNP's current director
claims to be taking drastic measures to end the practice of identity
theft and trafficking of birth certificates. He also promised to
name publicly those officials involved in these practices. The
first person implicated in the case involving the Cameroonians was
Yuri Rolando Castellanos Suazo, the RNP window employee who helped
register the individuals found later with falsified documents.

According to a June 22 article in "El Tiempo" and the RNP, the
following three individuals were also later fired from their
positions in the RNP for involvement in this or other incidents of
document falsification: Carlota Matute Zelaya, Norma Lidia Morales,
and Carlos Roberto Hernandez. It is clear, however, that this
problem goes far beyond this isolated case and this handful of
employees. As of June 22, RNP Director Suazo had submitted at least
15 other cases to the Public Ministry for investigation. Suazo has
also promised to make other changes in the RNP in order to prevent
non-Hondurans from fraudulently obtaining identity documents. These
measures are to include: rotating key personnel, applying stricter
internal security measures, and performing an audit of the company
in charge of issuing the national identification cards.


7. A June 22 article in "El Pais" illustrates another facet of the
RNP's problems: a lack of sufficient resources. The article
explains that 600 applications for "cedulas", or national ID cards,
sent from San Pedro Sula have been returned to the capital because
of irregularities stemming from the fact that the RNP's database in
San Pedro Sula has not been updated for four years. The "weak
point" of the system, according to the article, is that other cities
cannot check fingerprints and other information against the database
in Tegucigalpa, which is up-to-date. This issue is being rectified
in San Pedro Sula, and ID applications have been suspended until the
database is updated.


8. Comment: Endemic corruption in the RNP, as well as
Congressional political pressures on the RNP, are a threat to the
Honduran electoral process, as the national ID card is needed to
vote and is often used as a political tool. Furthermore, this issue
encompasses problems of human rights and national security as
smugglers can use false documents to engage in trafficking in
persons, and individuals can apply for a U.S. visa using an assumed
identity. The Charge's decision to temporarily suspend visa
appointments (reftel A) will hopefully ensure that current
investigations lead to meaningful changes in the RNP. It remains to
be seen, however, if the organizational structure itself will
undergo sufficient rehabilitation to become a properly functioning
organization that can protect electoral integrity and both the U.S.
and Honduras' national security. So far, investigations into the
current scandal have focused on those employees who administer
documents and register individuals. While it is necessary to
reprimand all involved in providing fraudulent documents, this
approach is not likely to correct the institutional pathologies at
the root of the RNP's problems. The reconvened Congress will
discuss the proposed changes to the RNP. In light of the scandal
that has come forth since Congress went into recess, this discussion
will take on an even greater level of significance.


9. Comment continued: The RNP is badly in need of reform in order
to: a) de-politicize the selection of its directorate to guard
against irregularities in personal identity documents at election
time, and b) prevent employees from making deals with traffickers of
fraudulent documents. As long as Congress is responsible for
selecting the RNP's directors and does so in a political manner, it
will be nearly impossible to ensure that the body is apolitical and
accountable. For current internal investigations to truly provide
change in the organization's activities, they must be prepared to
look at problems inherent in all levels of administration. End
Comment.

Ford.