The puzzle of the Syrian forgery case unravels
- Details revealed of intergenerational nationality forgery spanning over 50 years
- Nationality Investigations pursue forgers regardless of their attempts to flee or conceal their identities
- Security investigations, official documents, and scientific tests uncover true identities
Barely a week passes without the Supreme Committee for the Verification of Kuwaiti Nationality uncovering further cases of tampering with national identity and forgery of Kuwaiti nationality. The committee, chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef, continues its work of examining and reviewing the cases presented before it.
In four interconnected cases, some with roots extending back more than half a century, the Nationality Investigations continued to dismantle old files built upon false lineage claims. By combining security investigations, judicial rulings, official documents, and DNA fingerprinting tests, they used conclusive scientific evidence to reveal the true identities and nationalities of individuals who had concealed themselves behind illegitimate Kuwaiti nationality, believing their forgeries would remain hidden and undetected.
Informed sources reaffirmed to Al-Rai that no matter how much time passes, and no matter how forgers attempt to hide or flee, their fate will be exposure, and the records will be restored to their original status, regardless of how many decades have passed. The sources stated, “There is no statute of limitations, and the files will remain open until the last forger is exposed, ensuring that Kuwaiti nationality is reserved solely for its rightful holders.”
The first case opened a broad Syrian family file linked to a Syrian man who was registered as the son of his naturalized uncle and rose through the military ranks to a senior position, before his nationality and those of his dependents were revoked. It was revealed that a naturalized individual who obtained Kuwaiti nationality in 1963 had added seven of his Syrian brothers’ sons to his file as his own children, extending the dependencies to dozens of individuals. A total of 62 individuals were linked to the branches of the forgery, while the status of 116 dependents of the original naturalized individual remains pending the outcome of the verification procedures and the decisions of the Supreme Committee for the Verification of Kuwaiti Nationality.
In the second case, information regarding a false sibling relationship led investigators back to records dating to the 1960s and the 1970 census. Tests subsequently proved that an individual who had obtained Kuwaiti nationality as a sibling of citizens under Article 1 was not their brother, but rather the true sibling of a person registered as a “Bedoon” (stateless resident). The case resulted in the revocation of nationality for 67 individuals among his dependents, while verification of the family’s extended connections continues.
The third case revived a complaint that had been on hold since 1974, when the children of a deceased citizen informed the Nationality Department that an individual registered in their father’s file through forgery was not their brother. A judicial ruling in 1987 confirmed the denial of kinship and revealed the individual’s identity and Iraqi nationality. More than five decades later, DNA fingerprinting finally validated the siblings’ complaint and confirmed the absence of any familial relationship.
In the fourth case, the investigation began with the apprehension of an individual attempting to leave the country. It was discovered that he held a Gulf nationality and that the Kuwaiti man registered as his father was actually his uncle. As the file was traced, it was established that the uncle himself held a different Gulf identity and had added two of his brothers’ sons to his file as his own children. Based on confessions, Gulf documents, and a preserved old DNA sample, the case expanded to include 37 individuals, all of whom had their nationality revoked.
