Want a divorce? Get married properly first, Malaysian court tells woman

Thu, Jul 3 09:39 AM

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ A Malaysian court has ordered a woman to register her marriage properly before seeking a divorce, her lawyer said Thursday. An Islamic court in northern Kelantan state dismissed the divorce application of Siti Aishah Chou Abdullah Wednesday because there was no record of her marriage, her lawyer Mohamad Sibri Ismail said.

Siti Aishah, a 24-year-old Cambodian, married state assemblyman Wan Ismail Wan Jusoh in Kuala Lumpur in 2003, but the court now deemed her marriage certificate invalid on grounds of possible fraud, Mohamad Sibri said. He said the registration was "a formality," and Siti Aishah, who is Wan Ismail's second wife, is expected to file for divorce again next week.

Mohamad Sibri said the relationship of the couple, who have two children, began to erode when Wan Ismail decided he wanted to take a third wife. Muslim men are allowed to take up to four wives in Malaysia.

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