Kuwait uncovers massive citizenship forgery networks spanning decades; DNA exposes the deception

• False Lineages, Fugitives and Forged Identities
• How Thousands Illegally Infiltrated Kuwait’s National Identity File
• Crackdown uncovers Largest Citizenship Heist

Kuwait’s Supreme Committee for Citizenship Investigation has intensified its campaign to protect national identity, uncovering some of the most complex and far-reaching citizenship forgery cases in the country’s history.

The investigations have revealed systematic manipulation of the citizenship file over decades, involving entire families, fictitious siblings, falsely registered children, and thousands of dependents.

Chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef, the committee has decided to withdraw and revoke Kuwaiti citizenship from hundreds of cases in preparation for referral to the Council of Ministers.

The decisions include revocations due to dual nationality, proven fraud and false declarations, and withdrawals made in the supreme interest of the state.

Informed sources stressed that no file is ever considered permanently closed. Even after citizenship is withdrawn, investigations continue as new evidence frequently emerges, exposing additional layers of forgery and implicating new individuals, months or even years later.

Authorities are following what they describe as a policy of “continuous pursuit,” expanding investigations beyond the main suspect to include family members, beneficiaries, and anyone who facilitated or concealed the fraud.

Officials emphasized that fleeing Kuwait does not shield suspects from accountability. Citizenship is withdrawn based on available evidence, and legal pursuit continues internationally, reports Al-Rai daily.

In several cases, relatives remaining in Kuwait have undergone DNA fingerprinting to establish scientific proof of forged lineage, including examinations of supposed siblings, children and grandchildren.

The committee underscored that no decision is based on suspicion alone. Medical examinations and conclusive genetic evidence are required before final rulings are issued, reflecting a strict commitment to accuracy and justice. National identity, sources stressed, remains a non-negotiable red line.

One of the largest cases uncovered involves a deceased man born in the 1930s who obtained Kuwaiti citizenship in 1965.

His file includes approximately 1,200 dependents. DNA evidence confirmed that 978 individuals were fraudulently registered, leading to the withdrawal of their citizenship.

Five individuals linked to the file are currently in hiding and face citizenship withdrawal due to repeated failure to respond to summonses.

The man was married six times and officially recorded as having 44 children across those marriages. Several of his children had already lost citizenship in earlier cases involving fraudulent registration, each with differing methods of forgery.

Authorities retain the deceased man’s genetic fingerprint from prior official transactions, enabling continued verification of disputed claims. Any fugitive who later appears will bear the burden of proving lineage through DNA testing.

Investigators confirmed that while some children were biologically linked to the file owner, there is no evidence that he personally forged his citizenship. Nonetheless, nearly 1,000 of his registered descendants were proven fraudulent.

In a separate case, authorities reopened the file of a former member of parliament after earlier investigations proved that one individual listed as a brother on his father’s file was not biologically related.

Expanded DNA testing later confirmed the existence of a second falsely registered brother, with suspicions now surrounding three additional names. These individuals were notably absent from the family’s inheritance registry, reinforcing the evidence of forgery.

The second proven impostor left Kuwait approximately 18 months ago and is registered as having been born in 1935, though Gulf records indicate his true birth date is likely 10 to 15 years later.

Authorities concluded that the falsified age was intended to facilitate the registration of fictitious dependents. His file alone includes 68 dependents whose citizenship has now been withdrawn. The case has been referred to the Public Prosecution.

Another complex investigation uncovered a 46-person forgery network after authorities scrutinized the social environment of a Kuwaiti man whose three daughters were married to citizenship forgers. The inquiry revealed that the father himself was a forger and that the entire family had sought asylum in Britain.

Interpol later confirmed that the father, his children, and grandchildren were all outside Kuwait and had submitted asylum applications, further intensifying suspicion. The man’s supposed 31 brothers and sisters — products of four marriages — were summoned and unanimously confirmed that he was not their brother. DNA tests conclusively supported their statements.

Comparative DNA analysis also proved that the three daughters had no biological connection to the 31 siblings, confirming that the father listed on their records was fictitious. The total number of dependents in this file stands at 46, including children and grandchildren.

Investigators noted additional indicators, including marriage patterns and social connections, that reinforced the findings. Authorities stressed that examining the wider social and familial environment remains a crucial tool in uncovering interconnected forgery networks.

Officials confirmed that investigations across all cases remain ongoing, with authorities committed to dismantling every layer of fraud through scientific evidence and official documentation, in order to safeguard the integrity of Kuwait’s citizenship file and protect national identity.