KUWAIT CITY, July 13: The Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Mutab Al-Ardi, has sentenced a Kuwaiti citizen and two Gulf nationals to seven years in prison with hard labor, following their conviction in a major citizenship fraud case spanning three decades.
The court also ordered the defendants to return all illegally obtained funds and imposed a financial penalty exceeding KD 473,000.
According to the charges brought by the Public Prosecution, the three individuals were found guilty of forging key documents (including a Kuwaiti citizenship certificate, birth certificate, and debit card) between 1994 and 2024, with the intent of unlawfully acquiring financial and state benefits reserved for Kuwaiti nationals.
In its verdict, the court affirmed its confidence in the findings of the officer from the Nationality and Passports Investigation Department, whose confidential inquiry uncovered a scheme involving all three accused.
The investigation revealed that the first defendant, a Kuwaiti citizen, colluded with the second defendant, a Gulf national, to falsely register the third defendant (the son of the second) as his own to add him to his citizenship file.
Based on this fraudulent claim, the first defendant submitted falsified information to the General Directorate of Nationality and Travel Documents, which enabled the third defendant to unlawfully obtain a Kuwaiti civil ID, passport, and citizenship certificate.
The court ruled that all three defendants be held equally responsible, sentencing each to seven years of imprisonment with hard labor, in addition to full restitution and a substantial financial fine.
The case is regarded as one of the more significant rulings in recent years involving citizenship fraud and misappropriation of state resources.