Kuwait employees use fake fingerprints to skip work

38 public sector workers will be prosecuted

Kuwait has referred 38 state employees to the public prosecution for reportedly faking their fingerprints in a scheme to mark their attendance without showing up for work.

Colleagues used silicone fingertips to cover for the employees and were careful not to show their faces to the camera, the minister of commerce and industry Khalid Al Rowdan said.

“The employees were referred to prosecution and an administrative order has been issued to all the employees to ensure their faces are clear to the camera when they are logging in with their fingerprints,” he said, quoted by Kuwaiti daily Al Rai.

“Without a clear view of the face of the employee logging in, the attendance will not be validated.” An investigation into the scandal was launched by the legal affairs department following remarks that employees did not show their faces while signing in, he added.