Kuwait’s Criminal Court has sentenced a soldier to seven years in prison and fined him KD316,000 for illegally obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship, in a case spanning more than three decades.

According to Al Qabas Arabic daily, investigations found the defendant had paid KD35,000 dinars to be affiliated with an individual later proven to be a forger, before his citizenship was revoked by decree after biometric fingerprint checks confirmed discrepancies, according to inquiries by nationality authorities.

Authorities said the defendant used the forged citizenship to secure government jobs, including serving as a corporal in the Ministry of Defence and working at the Ministry of Interior.…