Saudi citizen sentenced to seven years in Kuwait for forging citizenship to join defence ministry

Dubai: A Saudi citizen has been sentenced to seven years in prison with hard labour and fined 336,000 Kuwaiti dinars (Dh4 million) by a Kuwaiti criminal court for forging a naturalization application that enabled him to unlawfully obtain Kuwaiti citizenship and secure a position in the Ministry of Defence.

The man, whose identity was not disclosed, falsely claimed to be the biological son of a Kuwaiti citizen, who was also convicted in the case.

This deception allowed him to receive Kuwaiti nationality and later be appointed as a sergeant in the Defense Ministry. The court described the act as a serious breach of public trust and national integrity.

He was arrested at the Salmi border crossing while attempting to flee the country. Kuwaiti authorities found both a Saudi ID and a Kuwaiti civil ID in his possession.

Investigations later revealed that he was trying to escape mounting financial obligations and unpaid bank loans.

In addition to the main defendant, the court also handed down a seven-year sentence to the Kuwaiti citizen who aided in the scheme, as well as to the Saudi man’s biological father, who was found complicit in the forged claim.

In its ruling, the court said the defendants committed a blatant attack on national identity and tampered with official documents in a way that undermines state sovereignty.

-- Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE