Article

Sunday, October 13, 2024
search-icon

Court denies release of 2 Syrians linked to fake citizenship scheme

publish time

01/10/2024

publish time

01/10/2024

Court denies release of 2 Syrians linked to fake citizenship scheme

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 1: The sentence renewal judge on Tuesday rejected a request to release two Syrians employed at the Criminal Investigation Department and Kuwait Municipality whose father purchased fake Kuwaiti citizenship for them from citizens for KD30,000. They were arrested by citizenship investigation officers, while the father was outside the country.

Case files indicate that the nationality investigations officers uncovered the case of tampering with the nationality file. The results of the investigations led to two citizens -- two Syrian brothers -- whose Kuwaiti citizenship is based on their relationship with a Kuwaiti citizen. During the investigation, they confessed that they were of Syrian nationality and that their Syrian father was outside the country, indicating he purchased Kuwaiti nationality for them at a cost of KD15,000 each in 2003.

They also confessed that they have another brother whose nationality is under another Kuwaiti citizen, and he was arrested as well. He confessed that he obtained Kuwaiti nationality when he was seven years old, and when he reached the age of twenty and started working, his fake father demanded sums of money from him. When he refused, he went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to obtain a death certificate for him, stating he died in a traffic accident.

All this was done without his knowledge and his death was documented at the Kuwaiti embassy in Riyadh. The document was submitted to the Kuwaiti authorities, so this person is deceased in the eyes of the law. For this reason, the Syrian was forced to obtain a passport and a residency stamp. When he was arrested and his fingerprints were matched, the truth of what he said was confirmed due to the presence of both Kuwaiti and Syrian fingerprints. The two accused were referred to the Public Prosecution on charges of forging the Kuwaiti nationality, while the third brother was deported.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud, Munif Naif

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff and Agencies