27/08/2025
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27/08/2025
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KUWAIT CITY, Aug 27: As part of its ongoing security efforts to combat residency trafficking and protect expatriate workers from exploitation, the Ministry of Interior announced that the General Department of Residence Affairs Investigations has uncovered and dismantled a major network involved in issuing company licenses for the illegal recruitment of workers in exchange for money.
Investigations revealed that the accused individuals exploited the licenses of 28 companies to illegally recruit 382 workers. Each worker reportedly paid between KD 800 and KD 1,000, while additional bribes ranging from KD 200 to KD 250 were paid to employees at the Public Authority for Manpower to enter the workers’ data into the system.
Roles of the Accused
- Company Owner/Manager: Recruited workers under his companies and paid bribes to manpower employees.
- Company Representative/Manager: Attracted workers and facilitated residency permits in return for money.
- Company Staff: Coordinated with brokers to pay bribes and manipulated labor needs assessments.
- Mediator: Acted as the link between companies and manpower employees, delivering bribes through bank deposits and cash transfers, in exchange for a commission.
- Supervisor – Capital Needs Estimation Department: Manipulated labor demand estimates in return for bribes and provided his password to a colleague in the Hawalli Labor Department to mislead security authorities.
- Acting Director – Hawalli Labor Department & Supervisor of Evaluation and Follow-Up Department: Completed illegal transactions using his colleague’s credentials in exchange for a share of the profits.
Names and Nationalities of the Accused
- Muhammad Salem Al-Ajmi – Kuwaiti
- Yasser Lotfi – Egyptian
- Nour El-Din Mansour Abdel Aal – Egyptian
- Muhammad Saeed Noufal – Palestinian/Egyptian
- Talal Muhammad Al-Dosari – Kuwaiti
- Issa Abdullah Al-Rashidi – Kuwaiti
The Ministry of Interior confirmed that all suspects have been referred to the relevant authorities for legal action. It reiterated its commitment to intensifying efforts to combat residency trafficking and safeguard the rights of expatriate workers.