Assistant Attorney General Frank Soto has found many irregularities in the processing of passports at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. He stated that the entire passport department in the Ministry is under investigation and its personnel are being questioned about these alleged irregularities. He stated that Alfredo Pereyra, who is being held at La Victoria prison, was able to withdraw approximately 50 passports and his department wants to know why the Ministry would deliver that many documents to just one person. Soto indicated that almost none of the passports were signed by the person they were issued to, because they were delivered to other people. He also stated that Luis Emilio Caraballo, an official of the Azua Municipal Council, allegedly withdrew 30 passports, also without them being signed or fingerprinted. Soto stated that all the documents requesting passports to the Ministry were signed by Amaury Guzman. He also reiterated that the Municipal Electoral Boards do not have anything to do with the scandal as they did not issue election certificates in favor of the impostors. Acting Judge of Instruction Elka Reyes ordered the councilman for Sonador, Monsenor Nouel province, Saturnino Sanchez Suarez, to be released on bail. He was also in custody at La Victoria prison in connection with the passport case. The bail to be paid is RD$1.2 million and the suspect has to report to the District Attorney’s office every month. Today, the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeals will hear a case in favor of the annulment of the sentence that sends former Technical Undersecretary of the Dominican Municipal League, Amaury Guzman, to Najayo prison. Councilwoman Adolfina Bocio Montero, of Hondo Valle, was arrested yesterday and an arrest warrant was issued against a councilman from Maimon, Fernando Antonio Fernandez Mateo. The Attorney General’s department is seeking Ramon Caraballo Vilchez, an alleged assistant of Amaury Guzman, who is at large.