Ahmad Al-Asiri, a Saudi national, spent seven years without an identification card number, and when he went to get one from the Civil Service Department, he was informed that it had been issued some time ago.

Al-Asiri said he filed an application to get an identification card in 2007, but was told by an employee at the department that it had already been issued.

“I was shocked because I had never applied to the Civil Service Department for an identification card. When I filed a report with the police, they discovered that my father had sold it to a Yemeni expatriate claiming that he was his son,” he said.

Explaining the reasons for not getting his identification card earlier, Al-Asiri said: “My right arm was amputated following a traffic accident. A prince donated a plastic arm to me but I couldn’t benefit from the state’s program for people with physical disability.
Owing to the absence of an identification card, I couldn’t go to the hospital for treatment or travel. I kept away from inspection points and the security patrol for fear of being caught.”

Al-Asiri said that he wants to have a national identification with a new number. He also wants to get back at those who caused him distress.

“I don’t know who the impersonator is or what he looks like, and when I demanded his photo from the Civil Service Department, they refused to reveal his identity fearing for his safety,” said Al-Asiri.

On a recent program on MBC television channel, it was revealed that many residents in Asir discovered that their IDs had been sold to expatriates who were in violation of the Kingdom’s labor and residency laws.

Mohammad Al-Jasir, official spokesman at the Civil Service Department, confirmed that Al-Asiri’s case has been registered and that all parties have been informed. “The ID card will be issued within a week,” he asserted.