Doctor held in preventive detention for document forgery
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
News
Named sources
Under investigation
- A doctor in the Dominican Republic faces three months of pre-trial detention for allegedly forging documents used to register foreign births as Dominican.
- The hospital detected irregularities in birth certificates using its logo and signatures, prompting a formal complaint.
- An analysis by the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) reportedly confirmed that a signature on one of the documents was not authentic.
A doctor in the Dominican Republic is under investigation for allegedly forging documents to register foreign births as Dominican. Judge Francis Diloné of the First Instruction Court of La Altagracia ordered three months of pre-trial detention for Dr. Yorkys Darío Espiritusanto Núñez. He will serve this sentence at the Anamuya Correction and Rehabilitation Center (CCR-14) in Higüey.
According to comments in the hallways, which I cannot confirm, it is said that he has been engaging in improper acts for the center for some time.
The case surfaced when the Hospital Materno Infantil Nuestra Señora de La Altagracia discovered documents bearing its logo and seal, along with signatures of hospital officials, that were allegedly not officially issued. The hospital filed a formal complaint with the Public Ministry, submitting the documents deemed irregular.
The hospital's director, Juan Félix Medina Santana, stated that an employee first noticed the potential discrepancies. A subsequent internal review revealed certificates that, according to Santana, were not generated through official institutional channels. He noted that several documents appeared to bear his signature and the hospital's seal, as well as a signature attributed to a former deputy director, Dr. Rodríguez Reyes.
In INACIF, it was determined that the signature on the documents is not the same.
Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez Carpio, the hospital's legal representative, presented evidence to the court, including an analysis from the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF). According to the lawyer, the forensic report concluded that a signature on one of the investigated documents did not match the authentic signature of the official it was attributed to. Rodríguez Carpio also indicated that the doctor allegedly had a stamp made that closely resembled the director's official stamp for signing center documents. The birth certificate is a key document for registering births with the Civil Registry, and Law 4-23, the Organic Law of Civil Status Acts, mandates that births must be accredited before a civil registrar.
He made a stamp similar to the one the director uses to sign the center's documents.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Diario Libre in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
More Stories
From Our Blog
What Gets Lost (and Found) When News Is Translated
The Critical Role of Diaspora Media in Global News
What Travellers Should Know About Countries with Restricted Press
A Digital Nomad's Guide to Following Local News
How the Same Story Looks Different in Different Countries
