The General Directorate of Criminal Investigation is set to summon dozens of Filipino expatriates for forging academic certificates and marriage contracts, Al-Anbaa reported. The CID’s Department of Combating Counterfeiting and Forgery suspects that the expats used the fake documents to obtain driving licenses and forged marriage contracts to change their residency status from Article 20 to Article 22. Forging academic certificates and marriage contracts are both criminal offenses in Kuwait, and violators can face up to three years in prison and deportation.
The Ministry of Interior announced that the CID department has arrested 33 Filipinos for falsifying official documents. In cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the Philippines in Kuwait, the department has seized the fake documents, which were being used to complete transactions by circumventing the law. The defendants are being transferred to the competent authorities to face the necessary legal measures.
The ministry stated that the forgers of marriage contracts intended to transfer their residency from household work to company work permit by means of marriage, which could provide them higher salary opportunities and better work conditions. Those who forged their academic certificates intended to meet the requirements for obtaining a visa to enter European countries, as some of these countries require applicants to have an academic certificate in order to be granted a visa.
On the other hand, the aim of those who forged their driving licenses is for them to provide proof of licenses issued by their home country in order to obtain a Kuwaiti license. This process requires submitting a driving license certificate from the applicant’s country of origin for the transaction.
