Fez - A lawyer and two others were arrested for fabricating documents attesting to the “bachelor” status of men seeking to marry a second wife.
The general prosecutor of the Ain Sebaa Court of First Instance ordered the arrest of the lawyer in Casablanca on Sunday, November 9.
The lawyer allegedly belongs to a group of professionals that specializes in fabricating counterfeit “bachelor” certificates for men who want to marry a second wife.
Tamaris Royal Gendarmerie arrested the lawyer’s two accomplices on the same charges. One accomplice is a former primary school teacher who was fired by the Ministry of Education, and the other is a mediator who facilitated negotiations with clients.
The group was earning between MAD 5,000 to 20,000 per document to falsify the certificates, according to Moroccan daily newspaper Assabah.
The Moroccan Family Code adopted in 2004 places several prerequisites for polygamy in order to guarantee a decent life for partners and help promote gender equality.
Under the Code, a man may marry a second wife only if he has authorization from a judge who reviews the case and investigates the man’s objective and justifications. Obtaining the consent of the first wife is mandatory, and the husband must have sufficient resources to support the two families, guaranteeing all maintenance rights, accommodation, and equality in all aspects of life.
These new more stringent conditions have succeeded in making polygamy in Morocco nearly nonexistent.
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