KUWAIT CITY, June 20: A long-hidden case of citizenship fraud was exposed in Kuwait following the death of a Kuwaiti man, revealing that his alleged son—an Iranian by birth—had been falsely registered as a Kuwaiti citizen since 1986.

According to detailed investigations, the fraud began when an Iranian woman, after divorcing her Iranian husband, married a Kuwaiti man. With his cooperation, she added her son from the previous marriage to his citizenship file. The child, born in Iran, was officially registered as the Kuwaiti’s biological son, allowing him to benefit from full citizenship rights, including access to education and government services. He eventually became a pilot in Kuwait under this false identity.

The truth unraveled in 2021, when a dispute erupted among the children of the deceased Kuwaiti man over inheritance. Suspicions were raised about one half-brother, who appeared to have no legitimate paternal link. The family lodged a formal complaint, prompting the Public Prosecution to order DNA testing. The tests, which included samples from the deceased man’s brother, confirmed that the accused individual was not biologically related to the Kuwaiti father.

Further investigations revealed that the individual had knowingly perpetuated the fraud. He renewed his Kuwaiti passport and civil ID multiple times using false information, fully aware of his real origins. The court sentenced him to seven years in prison for forgery and fraud. However, by the time the verdict was issued, he had already fled Kuwait for Iran. As a result, the ruling was issued in absentia.

Authorities also discovered irregularities in the man's citizenship file, including three separate family affiliations, raising further questions about how the fraudulent identity remained undetected for so long.

The case underscores Kuwait’s continued efforts to detect and prosecute cases of citizenship fraud, particularly those involving falsified family links.