Man accused of bigamy denies falsifying annulment

A man has denied falsifying a court decree of annulment in order to contract a second marriage.

Businessman Danny David Doneo appeared in the dock before magistrate Aaron Bugeja this morning, accused by Inspector Jeffrey Scicluna of falsifying a court decree, bigamy, and judicial perjury.

Inspector Scicluna told the court that in August 2002 the accused had contracted a second marriage on the strength of a court decree, dissolving his first, which turned out to have been a forgery. The anomaly had been noticed in 2016 when Doneo's first wife had gone to renew her passport.

The crime of bigamy, that of contracting of a second marriage while a previous one is still valid, is punishable by up to four years imprisonment and also applies to civil unions and cohabiting couples.

Doneo’s lawyer, Arthur Azzopardi, entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of the man, who was not arraigned under arrest.

The case continues in January.