Kuwait reveals 4 cases of forgery of identity and withdrawal of nationality using DNA fingerprinting

These issues were revealed after using genetic fingerprinting (DNA), in addition to reviewing old records of deaths, burials, and movement of ports.

In the first case, reviewing a death report and burial permit for a Kuwaiti child who died at an early age led to the discovery of a Gulf person who had assumed the identity of the deceased child, and used it to join the National Guard, where he continued his service until retirement, before adding nine children to his file. Genetic fingerprint tests, along with testimonies from family members, confirmed the identity theft decades after it occurred.

In a second case, investigations revealed a naturalized citizen who added five of his Syrian nephews to his file, considering them to be his children. Among them was an officer who rose in the Ministry of Interior until he reached a high rank and assumed the position of commander of a military region. After it was proven that the genetic lineage was incorrect, it was decided to withdraw citizenship from him and from 14 people whose situations were related to the same file.

As for the third case, it concerned a Gulf person who claimed to be a Kuwaiti citizen since 1968, before genetic samples preserved in forensic evidence revealed that there was no genealogical connection between him and the family to which he belonged. The case resulted in the withdrawal of citizenship from 282 people whose situations were related to his file and that of his brother.

In the fourth case, a Gulf citizen used judicial rulings to prove paternity and replace a Kuwaiti citizen who was six years younger than him. However, examining the genetic sample of his sister residing in Kuwait revealed that the paternity relationship was incorrect, thus ending the manipulation that continued for years.

These cases come within the framework of the efforts of the Kuwaiti authorities to review and purify nationality records, while relying on genetic fingerprints, official records and historical data to detect cases of forgery and identity theft, and to ensure the validity of lineage ties no matter how long it takes.