KUWAIT: The criminal court sentenced a Saudi national to seven years in jail for forging a Kuwaiti citizenship. It also ordered him to return KD 83,000 and fined him KD 16,000, Al-Rai reported yesterday. The prosecutor general charged the suspect with forging official documents including a birth certificate, proof of Kuwaiti nationality and a passport, and presenting himself as a Kuwaiti by impersonating another individual. He was also charged with taking money from the place where he worked undeservedly (his salaries) and receiving a loan from a bank. He also received money from the housing care authority.

This comes while a decree was published in this week’s issue of the national gazette ‘Kuwait Al-Youm’ to withdraw the Kuwaiti nationality from two people, based on article 13 of the Kuwaiti Nationality Law which entitles the Interior Minister to issue a decree to revoke the nationality of a naturalized Kuwaiti national in the following cases: Where naturalization has been acquired by virtue of fraud or on the basis of a false declaration. Kuwaiti nationality which has been acquired by any dependent of any such person may also be revoked; Where, within 15 years of the grant of naturalization, a person is convicted of any honor-related crime or honesty-related crime. In such case, the nationality of the convicted person alone may be revoked; Where, within 10 years of the grant of naturalization, a person is dismissed from public office on disciplinary grounds for reasons relating to honor or honesty; Where the competent authorities have evidence that a naturalized person has disseminated opinions which may tend seriously to undermine the economic or social structure of the State or that he is a member of a political association of a foreign State. Kuwaiti nationality which has been acquired by any dependent of any such person may also be revoked.

Furthermore, another decree was published in the national gazette stipulating the withdrawal of the nationality certificate from 15 persons, based on ‘Article 21bis A’ of the nationality law which stipulates that “a nationality certificate may be withdrawn if it appears to have been obtained by virtue of fraud or on the basis of a false declaration or on the basis of false evidence submitted by a witness. Such withdrawal shall be effected by Resolution of the Council of Ministers upon the recommendation of the Minister of the Interior. Kuwaiti nationality which has been acquired by any dependent of any such person may also be revoked.”