Toughening of law halts marriages of convenience

Joan Collins THE toughening of the laws which regulate the entry of foreigners into the Balearics has halted marriages of convenience, which are fraudulent and take advantage of the very hazy line between marrying for love and marrying just to get “papers”. In Palma, the judge Julio Lopez Bermejo confirmed that he had, during the last few months, annulled a dozen marriages of convenience, in spite of the difficulty of ascertaining whether the marriage was based on love or just on a desire to bypass the law. “A judge cannot become a love policeman”, he said. “I have issued annulments for these marriages when the evidence that it is fraudulent is overwhelming. For example if, in an interview with the groom, he can't tell me the bride's surname”, he explained. Last year in Palma 1'113 weddings were celebrated, according to the Civil Registrar. The judge said it is a “very delicate” matter to forbid marriages of convenience. “We can't interfere in people's lives. Why can't a 20 year old Cuban girl fall in love with a Spanish man of 60 or more? Who is authorised to deny marriage on these or similar grounds? Suspicion is not enough”, he said. However, there are revealing signs that a marriage is against the law. For example, if the bride and groom get their respective names or other details wrong, if they scarcely know each other or if they speak different languages. In reality, most frauds can be seen quite clearly when the “partners” come to the Registrar to arrange the wedding and make very obvious mistakes. Although many of them learn by heart what they have to say before the judge, there are always doubts or hesitations when they are asked how they met or if they know the names of their partner's family.