Civil State Registry official Luis Felipe Rodriguez was fired by the Central Electoral Board (JCE) for developing a program to provide late birth certificates free of charge to thousands of people under his jurisdiction who did not have the document, according to Clave Digital. The report states that JCE President Luis Arias Nunez said that Rodriguez had been fired for his lack of discipline. The funds collected by the registry – estimated at RD$300,000 per month – were used by Rodriguez to provide birth certificates to 4,000 people in 2004. Many other civil registry officials keep the funds generated by their offices. Another reason for his dismissal was that Rodriguez asked the JCE to establish salaries for officials so that they would not “monopolize” the funds collected which should go to the government or be used to repair the offices, which are in very poor condition. Arias Nunez emphasized that an investigation made by JCE inspectors determined that Rodriguez had told a pack of lies. “He claimed that my wife (Ana Melba Rosario, civil registry official of the sixth jurisdiction) earned RD$300,000 per month, which is not true,” said Arias Nunez. He also said that the JCE judges were collecting commissions. He was given five days to present proof of his claims and did not reply, said Arias Nunez.