The First Hall of the Civil Court has declared a marriage null after it found that the only reason the woman involved had got married was because she needed financial support.

The woman herself opened a court case, saying she got married on 28 July 2003 for the simple reason that she needed money, not because she loved the man she married, who had in turn got married to obtain Maltese citizenship.

The woman had in fact agreed to get married on condition she is paid the sum of Lm1,400. In fact, soon after the marriage the couple had separated.

They had only met one week before the marriage took place and another person was involved in the match-making process. The woman told the court that the third person had introduced her to the man and he promised to sustain her financially and give her a sum of money as soon as they got married.

The woman had accepted this agreement and a civil ceremony had taken place, but she still lived at her father’s home, separate from her husband, who insisted she goes to sign some papers related to acquisition of Maltese citizenship two days after they got married.

The woman never saw her husband again after having gone to the Immigration Office to sign the named papers.

Mr Justice Noel Cuschieri presided over the court.