A DIVORCED couple is standing trial for alleged immigration fraud, with the Bahraini husband reportedly renewing his Moroccan ex-wife’s spouse visa even after their marriage ended.
Despite the woman re-marrying a Saudi man a year after the divorce, her former husband kept renewing her visa by lying about them still being married.
Over the course of a decade following the divorce, he allegedly renewed his former wife’s residency three times by submitting an in-person request at the Nationality, Passport and Residence Affairs (NPRA).
The defendants appeared at the High Criminal Court for their first hearing yesterday, and denied all accusations despite earlier admitting to some of them in Public Prosecution interviews.
The 57-year-old Bahraini man is facing charges of entering false information into a digital form with the intention of making it appear as legitimate, then succeeding to get what he applied for based on it.
He was also charged with forgery since he obtained an in-passport visa sticker based on a falsified immigration renewal request form.
Meanwhile, the 39-year-old Moroccan woman faces charges of aiding and abetting her ex-husband on both charges.
Both were jointly accused of applying for immigration renewal despite not meeting the residency requirements.
According to court documents, the fraud was uncovered earlier this year when the male defendant went to the NPRA to terminate the residency status of his co-defendant.
While processing the request, NPRA officials discovered that the couple had terminated their marriage in 2013, but that the woman remained under the man’s sponsorship for 10 whole years after they parted ways.
The divorcee reportedly applied for renewal in 2017, 2019 and 2021, testified an NPRA Visa and Residency Services employee.
“He had personally submitted the required forms and documents on all three occasions, despite his ex-wife no longer being deserving of the residency status for not satisfying its conditions,” the employee said.
To apply for a residency permit for a non-citizen wife, a Bahraini man must submit an application form, a copy of his CPR and a copy of the wife’s passport.
Two versions of their marriage contract issued by a Sharia Court in Bahrain – an original and a copy – must also be on-hand for the application, which the husband has to be present at the NPRA for.
Court documents state that the Bahraini man admitted to prosecutors that he did, in fact, renew his former wife’s residency as if they were still together.
The Moroccan reportedly admitted that she collaborated with him in committing the acts they were charged with.
She admitted to having married a Saudi man in a Bahraini court in 2014, and they had a daughter in 2015. The family lives in Juffair.
“In 2017, we reached out to my ex-husband to renew my residency, and he did so,” she said.
However, both defendants walked back on their testimonies before High Criminal Court judges yesterday.
The hearing was adjourned to Sunday for defence arguments.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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