Woman's divorce put on hold - until she marries

A Malaysian court has ordered a woman to register her marriage properly before seeking a divorce, her lawyer said today.

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.

Ms Siti Aishah, a 24-year-old Cambodian, married state politician Wan Ismail Wan Jusoh in Kuala Lumpur in 2003, but the court now deemed her marriage certificate invalid on grounds of possible fraud, Mr Sibri said.

He said the registration was “a formality”, and Ms Siti Aishah, who is Mr Wan Ismail’s second wife, is expected to file for divorce again next week.

Mr Sibri said the relationship of the couple, who have two children, began to erode when Mr Wan Ismail decided he wanted to take a third wife.

Muslim men are allowed to take up to four wives in Malaysia.