Ex-Kuwait Airways director sentenced to 7 years in prison for forging university certificate

Dubai: A former director of the Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) has been handed a seven-year prison sentence and fined KD320,000 by the Court of Cassation.

According to Al Seyassah newspaper, the decision was made in response to a case brought against the former director by the KAC Board of Directors, who accused him of submitting a falsified university certificate as evidence of his qualifications.

This forged certificate served as the basis for his promotion and the privileges that accompanied it. The former director’s actions were deemed a serious breach of trust, and the Public Prosecution charged him with the crime of forging an official document.

The Court of Cassation ultimately found him guilty and imposed the punishment of a seven-year prison sentence and a substantial fine.

In September last year, the Kuwait Council of Ministers issued directives to government agencies to spot fake certificates and take legal action against bogus civil servants.

The audit targeted degrees issued from abroad and included tens of thousands of Kuwaiti and foreign employees working in government institutions.

Al Qabas newspaper quoted government sources at the time as saying that in case of doubting any certificate, it will be sent to the Ministry of Higher Education to verify its authenticity.

In the event that a certificate, whether high school, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or doctorate, for any state employee “Kuwaiti – non-Kuwaiti” is found to be fake, legal measures will be taken against him and he will be referred to the Public Prosecution immediately.

He will be held accountable to refund all the salaries and financial privileges he obtained under these certificates, and there is no tolerance in the matter.

In February 2022, the Kuwaiti Criminal Court sentenced a member of the ruling family to three years in prison after convicting her of forging her university degree and using it to increase her salary.