Bahrain and Kuwait have both decided to reexamine their citizenship files after uncovering many cases of fraudulently obtained citizenship. The campaigns are expected to affect thousands of people who became citizens of either country using forged documents or other illegal methods.
Kuwait, which was the first of the two countries to launch such a campaign, has already received 750 reports about fraudulent citizenship cases.
The Bahraini Interior Ministry found several cases of fraud in obtaining Bahraini citizenship, prompting Interior Minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa to launch an investigation into all new citizenships granted since 2010.
Bahrainis and Kuwaitis praised these steps, with many sharing their support on social media.
'Those of indeterminate nationality'
Most Kuwaitis who have obtained fraudulent citizenship are believed to be in the category “those of indeterminate nationality.” That group comprises thousands of people, mostly of Iraqi, Palestinian, or Iranian descent, who claim Kuwaiti nationality by origin but do not hold identification papers.
Most people who obtained Bahraini nationality by fraud have Syrian or Yemeni origins.
“Forgery to obtain Bahraini citizenship takes place through several steps in which the law is circumvented,” an informed source who requested anonymity told The Media Line.
He explained that some legitimate Bahraini citizens submit papers for people not related to him, claiming that they are children from wives living in other countries. Those people then receive Bahraini citizenship through their “father.” This sort of fraud leads to complications when the supposed children claim inheritance from the man listed as their father, the source said.
In both Bahrain and Kuwait, obtaining citizenship illegally or through forgery is considered a crime punishable by withdrawal of citizenship and imprisonment.
No official estimates exist of the number of people who acquired citizenship illegally in the two countries, but their numbers are certainly in the thousands.
Both Bahrain and Kuwait provide exceptional services to citizens, such as completely free health care, unemployment allowance, and a job guarantee. Citizens also have access to reduced prices for housing units and are exempt from many fees.
Bahrain and Kuwait are also both members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Each GCC country grants citizens of other GCC countries the same rights its own citizens receive, meaning that the problem of fraudulent Bahraini and Kuwaiti citizenship has ramifications for the entire Gulf region.
In Saudi Arabia, more than 5,000 Yemenis with fraudulent Bahraini citizenship now control some markets. Their monopolies have made it hard for Saudi citizens to break into certain sectors.
During a 2018 visit to Bahrain, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud discussed the issue of unfair competition in the Saudi market from Bahraini passport holders. Khalifa, the Bahraini interior minister, ordered a rapid investigation into the matter in cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
Rakan Al-Abdullah, a Kuwaiti journalist, told The Media Line that citizenship fraud has caused many problems for the state.
“The matter is not limited to a few thousand who forged their official documents to obtain Kuwaiti citizenship,” he said. “Rather, it goes beyond that to the fact that many of them bring their children and wives and do more forgery for them in order to also obtain Kuwaiti citizenship.”
He noted that advertisements on social media offer fraudulent Kuwaiti citizenship for prices ranging from $10,000 to $25,000.
“There are other cases of people who exploited the identities or passports of deceased people and obtained Kuwaiti citizenship,” he said.
Al-Abdullah said that citizenship fraud poses “major security risks,” since some of those who obtained fraudulent citizenship may be foreign agents or criminals.
The Media Line met with several Yemeni citizens who obtained Bahraini citizenship through fraud and now live in Saudi Arabia. One such Yemeni, who gave only his first name, Mahmood, told The Media Line, “I have not gone to Bahrain in my entire life except once when I obtained Bahraini citizenship, and my name currently in the passport is different from my real name.”
Mahmood runs dozens of clothing stores in Saudi Arabia, together with his “brothers”—unrelated partners who are siblings according to their fraudulent documents.
He said he would return to Bahrain when he needed to renew his passport.
Saleh Al-Harbi, a Saudi economic analyst, told The Media Line that most Yemeni nationals who obtained Bahraini citizenship did so fraudulently.
“These people have formed mafias inside Saudi Arabia, taking advantage of the fact that the Bahraini citizen is treated like a Saudi citizen, and so they get things that are not their right,” he said.
Sayed Mohammed, a Bahraini political activist, called for widespread fraudulent citizenship to be investigated as quickly as possible.
“Such a matter cannot be accepted. These are not Bahrainis and they obtained citizenship by fraud, and they have caused major problems for the country,” he told The Media Line.
“We are not a large people,” Mohammed said. “Bahrainis are only approximately 700,000 citizens, and the presence of more than 5,000 to 7,000 people means 1% in the country, which is a big problem.”