Saudi Arabia: Man asks wife to borrow SR120,000 to marry another
Woman says husband told her money was to pay off his debt
Abu Dhabi: It’s not a stash of money in the bottom of a cookie jar that’s probably going to destroy the marriage of a Saudi couple. But realizing your spouse cheats on you financially to get married to another could be the beginning of the end. In an already troubled marriage, financial infidelity to spend on a guilty pleasure was what made this woman decide to call it quits.
The woman said her husband deceived her into taking a SR120,000 personal loan to pay off his debt, but he was instead planning to marry another, as she learned from a relative, local media reported.
She confronted her husband, but he initially denied it, so she resorted to a law firm to see if she has a case to revoke the marriage, Al Watan reported.
The man claimed that he was threatened to be terminated, and therefore she took a personal loan of 120,000 riyals and gave it to him in order to pay off his debt, the woman said.
She explained that after several weeks, she learned he planned to marry another woman, which prompted her to confront the husband. He denied it at first, but later admitted he would marry soon.
After demanding that he pay her back 120,000 riyals,, he refused, which prompted her to take legal action.
Annulment of the marriage
Lawyer Assem Al Mulla confirmed that the wife cannot file a marriage annulment case unless the conditions that necessitate it are met.
There are many reasons that could be one of the ways to annul the marriage, including the presence of a defect in one of the spouses and concealing it from the other party during the marriage contract. The other party has the right to file the case of annulment of the marriage if this is discovered, also in the event that one of the parties is unable to bear marriage obligations, and also if the marriage contract lacks one of its conditions that cannot be fulfilled without it, such as the absence of witnesses or a guardian, according to Islamic Sharia.
Spouses’ rights
Al Mulla indicated that the annulment of the marriage is the right of the two spouses, and the wife can file a case of annulment if the conditions that necessitate that are met.
So, she can file a lawsuit before the Personal Status Court.
The judge will look into the reasons, and if they are valid and permit the annulment, or ask to transfer the case to a reconciliation council. In the event that they have children, matters of custody, alimony and compensation are agreed upon, then the judge issues his ruling, the lawyer said.