Three Syrian brothers exposed in decades-long major citizenship fraud

A complex case of forged Kuwaiti citizenship involving three Syrian brothers has been exposed by investigative authorities.

The details of the forgery show, the first brother, born in the 1950s, lied about his age to appear older and applied for Kuwaiti nationality in 1965, claiming to be born in the 1940s to meet the legal age requirement. He worked in the oil sector and was granted citizenship under Article 1, according to Al-Rai daily..

In November, upon learning of the investigation, he fled Kuwait with his wife and one son, selling his house and liquidating his assets. The DNA tests from his Syrian cousins confirmed shared ancestry through the Y chromosome, supporting evidence of fraudulent lineage.

His second brother, also employed in the oil sector, obtained the Kuwaiti nationality in 1976 under the “noble deeds” clause. He allegedly died but reportedly has 77 dependents holding citizenship through him.

A third brother, who applied with them in 1976, was rejected by the Naturalization Committee and has remained stateless ever since. A letter from a “philanthropist” found in the National Archives revealed that the first two brothers were originally Syrian nationals from Al-Bukamal, Deir ez-Zor, Syria, and listed their real names and village.

The fugitive’s son, a high-ranking officer, submitted a retirement request, but the request was halted once the case emerged. He has since left for Britain.

Further investigations revealed that 142 people were connected to a single fake file, including 40 children from four wives. The evidence includes forged records, State Security reports, archived letters, and DNA test results, all confirming the brothers’ shared Syrian origin and fraudulent nationality claims.