Kuwait uncovers decades-long citizenship fraud networks involving hundreds

Kuwait’s Nationality Investigations Department has exposed a series of major, long-running citizenship fraud operations stretching back more than five decades.

The investigations, which relied on DNA fingerprinting, document audits, and cross-border coordination with Gulf states, revealed extensive manipulation of nationality records, forged affiliations, and the addition of fictitious dependents. Hundreds of individuals were found to have benefited unlawfully from forged family links, making these cases among the most complex in Kuwait’s history.

The largest case revolves around a man who falsely obtained Kuwaiti citizenship in 1971 by claiming affiliation with a Kuwaiti citizen. He later altered his birth year from 1940 to 1933 to hide discrepancies.

Over the years he constructed a sprawling family file listing 28 sons and daughters, three wives, and multiple dependents, some of whom were later discovered to hold Gulf identities.

Although the forger died in 2013, the file continued to attract attention. A nine-year investigation uncovered 17 biological children out of the 28 registered, and 11 who were fraudulently added. Cross-checks with Gulf passports, entry and exit records, and DNA tests ultimately tied 248 individuals to the forged file through falsified lineage.

The case first came to light in 2013 when one of his sons was arrested while carrying both Kuwaiti and Gulf identity documents. Further scrutiny revealed entry and exit movements under his Gulf name and identity, as well as forged documentation for several children, reports Al-Rai daily.

One son, nicknamed “Kuwait’s Rambo,” fled to Kuwait after committing murder in a Gulf country using his Kuwaiti identity; fingerprint matches later confirmed he held dual, contradictory identities. He died abroad in 2017.

Investigators also discovered that the forger had divorced his Gulf-born wife but never registered the divorce. Instead, he replaced her in the official records with another woman using identical personal data.

The scheme collapsed when the divorced wife’s daughter attempted to complete a routine paperwork transaction.

A review of the mother’s travel history revealed contradictions, prompting investigators to summon the woman, who confirmed that she had been replaced on paper and that the nine children registered as hers were not related to her, except for one daughter.

In another case, a man naturalized under the “distinguished deeds” clause in 1977 was found to have registered his own sister as his daughter to grant her citizenship. Two other sisters, who remained Syrian nationals, were later found to be her biological siblings.

DNA tests confirmed that the woman listed as his daughter had no familial link to him or to his legitimate children.

The man is now under review for concealing his own Syrian nationality at the time of naturalization. The file contains 62 individuals, including children and grandchildren, whose legal status is being reassessed.

A third case involved a Kuwaiti citizen whose Syrian wife convinced him to register her brother as his son. A second unrelated Syrian man was later added to the same file. DNA tests conducted on all 14 of the citizen’s registered children revealed that two were not his.

Investigators later found that one of the fraudulently registered men had 26 dependents, while the second had 18, bringing the total linked to the case to 44 individuals.

The Supreme Citizenship Committee has withdrawn the nationality of both men and all dependents registered under them. The original file holder also faces further legal procedures.

These cases share common patterns: false paternity claims, the insertion of unrelated foreign nationals into Kuwaiti families, dual nationalities concealed for decades, unregistered divorces, identity swapping, and altered birth dates.

Many individuals moved across borders using non-Kuwaiti identities while simultaneously benefiting from Kuwaiti citizenship rights.

Authorities say the exposure of these networks marks a significant step in an ongoing national effort to cleanse old citizenship files and protect the integrity of the nationality register.

With more than 300 individuals identified in these cases alone, further investigations are expected as the state intensifies its review of long-neglected files and closes loopholes that have been exploited for generations.