A tip from a grandchild of a Kuwaiti citizen who died in 1975 triggered a comprehensive review that exposed the initial fraudulent addition of an individual identified as (M) to the deceased’s nationality file, informed sources told Al-Rai. Once embedded in the system, (M) registered 10 people as his sons, but DNA testing and cross-checks with Gulf records confirmed only six as biological children while the remaining four were added through forgery. One of those fake sons was (M)’s actual brother, listed in Kuwaiti documents as his child, while the other three included a Gulf national using a mismatched identity and two others with no biological tie, the sources stated.
The Supreme Committee for Kuwaiti Citizenship Investigations has applied provisions under the nationality law to revoke status in such cases, with the methodical process of tracing from descendants back to origins uncovering connected frauds that had persisted for decades, according to the same sources. This particular file forms part of a wider campaign that a Times Kuwait report placed at more than 1,000 revocations in a single longstanding investigation dating to 2016, where genetic samples from forensic archives separated legitimate from fraudulent claims. The committee, chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef, continues to publish such decisions in the official gazette to enforce Article 11 and related provisions.
Al-Rai sources noted that the investigations combine DNA fingerprinting, inheritance registries, Gulf passport data, photographic matching and family testimonies to establish true lineages and origins. In this instance, the probe determined that (M) had manipulated records to expand his file, a tactic mirrored in other cases where individuals altered birth years or invented family links to conceal their foreign nationality. The discovery aligns with patterns identified across multiple files in which a single irregularity opened pathways to review entire family trees and affiliated dependents.
A separate Times Kuwait assessment of related probes detailed a naturalized citizen’s file listing 28 children from six wives, where testing verified 17 biological offspring but identified four fraudulent registrations that triggered revocations impacting 244 people overall. Such outcomes stem from preserved DNA samples that become critical tools after an individual’s death, enabling authorities to resolve dormant cases that had evaded earlier scrutiny. The Public Authority for Civil Information maintains the underlying population data that supports these cross-verifications, though specific aggregates for ongoing reviews are not publicly itemized.
Gulf News has reported on comparable schemes in which three brothers from a Gulf state assumed separate Kuwaiti identities over 50 years, resulting in unlawful citizenship for 264 people that was later reversed after DNA proved their sibling relationship despite unrelated official lineages. Kuwaiti authorities coordinate with neighboring states for document validation as part of these inquiries, a step that has accelerated since the Nationality Investigations Department expanded its use of scientific evidence. The committee has stressed that only those linked to proven fraud face revocation, leaving verified biological relatives unaffected.
Informed sources told Al-Rai that the current methodology of working backward from flagged branches to original roots has revealed forgery layered upon forgery in numerous files, prompting the application of Article 14 in cases where descendants knew of the deception. One large file reviewed under this approach accounted for 544 foundational citizenships revoked after six fraudulent registrations were confirmed among 28 listed children. The Supreme Committee continues to examine hundreds of additional names flagged through similar irregularities, with further decisions expected in coming months as the systematic review proceeds.
