A single citizenship file was used to falsely register nearly 1,000 dependents, triggering Kuwait’s largest fraud case/Representative Image
A routine nationality review has opened the door to one of the largest citizenship fraud cases Kuwait has ever recorded. What began as a single investigation file has now led to the withdrawal of nationality from nearly a thousand people, revealing how one citizenship record became the base for decades of fraudulent registrations.
A single file with an extraordinary scale
According to Arab Times Kuwait, The case centers on one citizenship file held by a man born in the 1930s who acquired Kuwaiti nationality in 1965 and passed away several years ago. During a detailed review by Kuwait’s Nationality Investigation Department, authorities discovered that the file contained close to 1,200 registered dependents, an unusually high number that immediately raised red flags.Further investigation confirmed that 978 individuals linked to this file had been falsely registered as dependents. As a result, their Kuwaiti nationality has already been withdrawn. Five additional individuals connected to the same file have gone into hiding and are now at risk of losing their nationality as well after repeatedly failing to comply with official summonses.
Family structure and DNA verification
The deceased man had six wives and 44 children. Each child’s registration was examined separately as part of the investigation. DNA fingerprinting played a central role in distinguishing legitimate family members from fraudulent additions. Authorities were able to rely on a preserved DNA sample of the deceased, taken during an earlier official transaction. This genetic record proved decisive. Testing confirmed that some of the registered children were his biological sons and daughters, while others were falsely added under fabricated claims of lineage.The impact extended far beyond the immediate family. Once the false registrations were identified, the review expanded to include the children and grandchildren of those wrongly listed, bringing the total number of people stripped of citizenship to around 978.
Fugitives and legal consequences
Five individuals linked to the file remain unaccounted for. Officials said they include four women with no dependents and one unmarried man. All five are being sought for DNA testing to verify their claims of lineage.With their continued refusal to appear, the Supreme Nationality Committee is considering withdrawing their citizenship solely on the basis of non-compliance. Authorities have made it clear that if any of these individuals surface in the future, the responsibility to prove legitimacy will rest entirely with them. That proof would require DNA comparison with the preserved genetic sample of the alleged father.Until such verification is provided, their absence and failure to cooperate legally place them in the category of forgers.
No evidence against the original citizen
Despite the unprecedented scale of the fraud uncovered, officials emphasized that there is no evidence at this stage that the original citizenship holder himself forged his nationality. Investigators believe his file was later exploited by others, eventually becoming the foundation for one of the most extensive dependency fraud cases in the history of Kuwait.The case continues to be cited by authorities as a stark example of how systematic reviews and forensic tools are reshaping nationality enforcement in the country.