KUWAIT CITY, Dec 21: The Court of Appeal has sentenced a Syrian man to seven years in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of 350,000 dinars, representing the total salaries he received after being accused of unlawfully obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship through forgery. In the same case, the court ruled to refrain from punishing another Syrian man, his brother, who was also charged.

According to court records, investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department, supported by DNA analysis, confirmed that both defendants are of Syrian origin and not Kuwaiti nationals, as claimed in their citizenship documents.

The Court of Appeal also ruled to suspend the seven-year prison sentence previously issued against a Kuwaiti citizen, the father of the two Syrian defendants. The court noted that the earlier verdict had been issued in absentia at the court of first instance, prompting the suspension of the imprisonment ruling pending further legal procedures.

The case came to light after the younger brother of the two Syrian defendants reported the matter to the nationality authorities. He later testified against them during the prosecution’s investigation, providing key evidence that contributed to uncovering the alleged forgery and misuse of citizenship documents.