KUWAIT CITY, Oct 28: In a dramatic courtroom verdict that exposed a web of corruption within a vital government agency, Kuwait’s Criminal Court, headed by Counselor Abdulwahab Al-Muaili, has handed down prison sentences to a group of individuals convicted in a high-profile forgery and bribery case tied to the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI).

According to court documents, two PACI employees and an expatriate representative were each sentenced to five years in prison, while an accountant and a company representative received three years of hard labor for their roles in manipulating official records and falsifying identity documents.

Investigations revealed that the group conspired to alter and update residential addresses in the national database in exchange for bribes. They allegedly issued new civil ID cards under falsified information, fabricated rental contracts, and used the personal details of unsuspecting citizens, transferring fake tenants to their addresses without their knowledge.

The scheme, which prosecutors described as a “breach of public trust and a threat to national data integrity,” involved coordinated forgery across multiple official documents, including tenancy papers and address verification forms. The accused reportedly accepted financial kickbacks from expatriates and intermediaries seeking to bypass legal residency procedures.

During sentencing, the court emphasized that the defendants had abused their positions of authority, manipulating Kuwait’s civil information system for personal gain and undermining public confidence in state institutions.

The verdict sends a strong message that tampering with official records and exploiting government systems for profit will not go unpunished.