Libya’s Attorney General Al-Siddiq Al-Sour has revealed extensive irregularities inside the country’s civil registry system, confirming that tens of thousands of national identification numbers recorded in state databases “do not exist in reality.” His remarks come as part of a major national effort to protect Libya’s demographic integrity and prevent identity fraud.
According to Al-Sour, investigations into the Civil Registry Authority began around 2016 after concerns emerged about possible manipulation of citizenship records and family registries. He said that the review has already resulted in the deletion of more than 17,000 non-existent national ID numbers, along with nearly 40,000 associated salary numbers that had been linked to them.
A specialised team assigned to compare data from the national ID system and the civil status registry identified significant discrepancies that raised suspicion. This prompted a wider audit and coordination with relevant state bodies to design a secure model for civil registry documentation, which was printed abroad to prevent counterfeiting.
Al-Sour confirmed that 160 committees from the Public Prosecution Service were deployed to every civil registry office across Libya to complete the verification process. The results uncovered thousands of errors in names and dates of birth, in addition to around 34,000 family records requiring further investigation. These include cases of entire families being artificially added to the registry or individuals acquiring forged Libyan nationality.
The Attorney General said that an 11-member central committee is currently examining these files to determine accountability, stressing that the process will take time due to the scale of violations. He reaffirmed that the ultimate goal is to ensure the accuracy of Libya’s national records, protect citizenship rights, and hold those responsible for manipulation to account.
This major investigation comes at a critical moment for Libya, where concerns over demographic tampering, illegal naturalisation and the integrity of voter databases have been the subject of political and social debate. Authorities say that securing the national ID system is essential for future elections, social services, and the rule of law.
