Fictitious ‘wives’ who gave birth on paper; 28 children, 17 real, 4 fake, 7 under investigation
One family file, four alleged forgery cases, 244 people affected, DNA tests expose fake family links in Kuwait citizenship probe
What began with two Gulf nationals allegedly obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship through forged family ties has turned into a far-reaching investigation of an entire family tree. Authorities expanded the investigation after the two cases raised questions about the authenticity of other family relationships recorded in the citizenship file.
The file belonged to a naturalized Kuwaiti citizen who died in 2021. His records listed 28 sons and daughters from six wives. Investigators found that only three of the six women were actual wives. The other three were allegedly fictitious registration records without civil identification numbers, and children were registered under their names.
A DNA sample belonging to the deceased had been preserved by the Criminal Evidence Department from an earlier case. After his death, that sample became a crucial tool for investigators. DNA testing confirmed that 17 of the 28 registered children were biological children of the deceased. But two others had already been proven not to be his children.
Their citizenship and that of their dependents were withdrawn, affecting 113 people in one case and 51 in the other. Investigators then focused on two more registered sons, identified as (N) and (S). Both were deceased, Their alleged siblings denied that they were brothers.
Since the two men could not be tested directly, investigators took DNA samples from their sons and compared them with the preserved DNA of their alleged grandfather. The results were decisive. They were not biological grandsons of the deceased.
The findings provided further evidence that the two men had been falsely linked to the citizenship file. The latest decisions resulted in citizenship withdrawals affecting 22 people in the (N) case and 58 in the (S) case. That brings the total number affected in the four proven cases to 244 people
The investigation is not entirely over. DNA results for several individuals are still pending, while authorities continue examining other aspects of the family file. The case highlights the growing role of DNA fingerprinting, family records and inheritance documents in verifying biological relationships and investigating suspected citizenship fraud.
