The Attorney General’s Office continues to expose national ID number forgery cases. These crimes occur within the Civil Status Authority. This situation causes widespread concern among Libyans. These incidents have serious consequences. They affect the essence of the state and the meaning of citizenship. Foreigners gain Libyan national ID numbers through this forgery. They benefit from privileges meant only for citizens. Some even hold public office. Others were caught practicing sensitive professions with forged certificates.
As these revelations mount, public questions increase. People are concerned about the extent of this penetration. They question how much was passed through civil registry loopholes. Attention turns to state institutions responsible for protecting society. These institutions should combat such crimes. Observers note the Attorney General leads this fight almost alone. Both the eastern and western interior ministries are notably absent.
Many no longer see this as mere “data forgery” or “administrative fraud”. It has become an issue that strikes at the heart of national identity. It impacts both the social fabric and national security. The national ID number is a gateway to citizenship, rights, jobs, movement, and travel. It is granted through manipulation to those who do not deserve it. This fragile reality increases the danger of any organized or repeated breach.
Increasing calls demand harsher penalties for those involved. Current penalties for “ordinary” forgery cases might be one or two years. These are not commensurate with the gravity of the crime. This situation is closer to high treason against the nation. It is not just a minor legal violation.
Current events show this issue is not limited to organized networks. It extends to shocking behaviors within society itself. Some citizens offer national ID numbers for sale, according to testimonies and observations. One person sells the national ID number of their deceased son. Another sells the ID of their disabled brother. Civil and vital records employees also participate in forgery for meager sums.
Prices in this black market vary. This reflects the extent of moral decline. Some sell a national ID number for ten thousand dinars. Others sell it for only one hundred and fifty dinars. Employees facilitate forgery for a few thousand dinars. This amount is nothing compared to the chaos this crime unleashes.
With each new case announced by the Attorney General’s Office, the same question arises. Where is Parliament? Why isn’t this issue an urgent legislative priority? Why are laws not updated to deter these crimes? These crimes threaten not just specific institutions, but the state itself.
Citizens and observers believe national ID forgery cannot be contained by administrative measures or arrest reports alone. It requires strict legislation to raise penalties to deterrent levels. This could mean decades in prison or stripping citizenship from those involved. What is happening affects national security. It creates a social imbalance that could impact generations.
Observers warn of the social consequences of these crimes. They say a foreigner could obtain citizenship through forgery. This person could then marry a Libyan woman. Her family might accept him as “Libyan”. The truth would later be discovered. This would turn a whole family’s life into a tragedy. Society would face effects that delayed decisions or official statements cannot remedy.
Amidst this controversy, blogger and political activist Musab Al-Toumi from Al-Zawiya called for urgent state intervention. He made the call in a live Facebook broadcast against those involved. He described the Attorney General’s revelations as “crimes that make one blush in shame.” He questioned how a Libyan could sell their national ID or a sibling’s ID. He also questioned how a Libyan employee could participate in forgery affecting their country’s identity.
Al-Toumi demanded the harshest possible penalties. He considered this act to be high treason. He stated that the country’s identity, for which its men shed blood to protect, should not be breached by its own citizens for “the lowest prices.”
These cases topped social media in Libya today, Saturday, January 17. This followed the Attorney General’s publication of the latest investigation findings. One incident was considered a shocking example of the extent of the breach. It was announced that an Egyptian national learned of an unused national ID number. This ID belonged to a person with a disability. The disabled person’s brother exploited this loophole. He conspired with the foreigner. For ten thousand dinars, he allowed access to his brother’s civil status data.
Reportedly, this allowed the foreigner to use the national ID. He obtained a Libyan passport. He also gained rights arising from citizenship. The investigation also revealed another highly serious incident. The foreigner impersonated an internist. He used the name “Khattab Al-Aqouri.” He practiced medicine with forged certificates in several clinics and centers. He was eventually apprehended.
According to the announcement, the investigator ordered the provisional detention of the conspirators. He also directed the suspension of administrative documents based on the disabled person’s national ID.
Libyans are no longer talking about a potential danger. They are discussing a reality that expands daily. A national identity is being targeted from within, not from outside. The state faces a critical test. The question is: Will citizenship be protected or sold?
Citizens once believed the enemy came from beyond the borders. They thought protecting the nation meant repelling external threats. However, these incidents reveal something far more dangerous. A threat is infiltrating from within. Weak-willed individuals open the door to this danger. National ID numbers are becoming commodities. National identity is for sale and purchase. Foreigners are given the keys to the state for a handful of dinars.
The question echoing in the Libyan street today is: How long will this absurdity continue? When will the authorities act to reform the penal code? When will they update legislation to deter these crimes before it’s too late? Will Parliament and governments, both east and west, enact decisive legislation to restore state prestige? Or will the door remain open to chaos and insecurity for years to come?