Syrian sentenced to 7 years in prison for forging nationality, fined KD 1.8 million

The Court of Appeal, presided over by Counselor Abdullah Al-Sanea and with Counselors Saud Al-Mutairi and Bassam Al-Ghuwainem as members, sentenced a Syrian national to seven years in prison, ordered him to repay 600,000 Kuwaiti dinars, and fined him double that amount, totaling 1.8 million dinars, in a case involving forgery and impersonation of a Kuwaiti citizen. The case dates back to 1971, when the defendant’s father agreed with a Kuwaiti citizen to register his son under the Kuwaiti citizen’s civil status file, in exchange for a sum of money, thereby enabling the defendant to assume an undeserved status and enjoy the privileges of Kuwaiti citizenship. According to the case facts, the defendant exploited this status to work in a military position at the Ministry of Defense, before the crime was uncovered following a dispute with his Syrian brothers, who filed a complaint against him. As a result of the complaint, the Civil Status Investigations Department apprehended the defendant, who, upon interrogation, confessed in detail to the facts, acknowledging that he had been aware of the truth since 2000. The defendant was referred to trial, and the Court of Appeal issued its final judgment today, which included the prison sentence, restitution, and fine. It was also revealed that the Kuwaiti citizen whose file was used by the Syrian national is deceased.