Cairo: Kuwaiti prosecutors have ordered the remand of a traffic employee suspected of illegally issuing dozens of driving licences for expatriates in return for money, a Kuwaiti newspaper has reported.
The alleged scam surfaced after authorities have recently started verification of driving licences held by expatriates in the country to exclude the ineligible ones and withdraw the illegally issued licences, Al Anba said, citing a security source.
Investigations revealed that dozens of licences had been issued for expatriates for documents including false university degrees, the source added.
Expatriate holders were summoned and interrorgated. They admitted to having offered money to a Kuwaiti broker, who in turn said he had offered gifts to the traffic employee, according to the source.
The latter was summoned and prosecutors ordered him kept in custody pending further interrogation.
Kuwait announced earlier this month it will examine licences of all expatriates’ driving licences issued in the past years.
The Interior Ministry’s Relations and Security Department said any foreign driver found to have obtained the driving licence in violation of the country’s rules will be summoned and the driving licence wil be irreversibly revoked.
Nearly 200,000 driving licences are likely to be withdawn as a result of the revision for foreigners who do not meet requirements for getting the driving licence, according to Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai, citing “well-informed” security sources.
“Opening this file will largely contribute to uncovering the driving licences that were issued unlawfully,” the sources said.
Expatriates in Kuwait hold around 800,000 driving licences, according to the sources.
Foreigners make up nearly 3.4 million of Kuwait’s overall population of around 4.6 million.
