The trial of a man identified as IKG and his second wife, identified as NPS, who could face up to seven years in jail for getting married while IKG was still married to his first wife began yesterday at the Negara Court in Jembrana regency.
According to a report from Radar Bali, IKG’s first wife, identified as NGA, filed a report against him after finding out that he had gotten married in secret.
“The defendant entered a marriage while still legally married to his lawful wife … IKG asked NPS to marry him in August 2018, and claimed to have gotten approval from his first wife,” prosecutor I Gede Gatot Hariawan said yesterday, as quoted by Tribun-Bali.
Gatot explained that IKG and NPS were actually related, and that the latter has been widowed since 2017. They went through a traditional ceremony, or nikah siri, which is a type of marriage that follows religious norms but is not recognized by the state. In some cases, the practice has been used as a loophole to justify underage children getting married.
IKG had been married to NGA for 18 years, and they reportedly have a child together. Radar Bali reported that IKG claimed that they have been growing apart and would often fight, leading him to decide to get married to NPS.
According to reports from local media, village authorities from where IKG and NGA resided tried to mediate the matter between the two, and IKG reportedly promised he would not cheat and do good by his wife. However, NGA still decided to report the case to the authorities.
Under Article 279 of Indonesia’s criminal code, NPS could face up to five years for getting illegally married while being aware of IKG’s first marriage, whereas IKG could face up to seven years in prison for unlawfully marrying NPS as well as attempting to conceal his first marriage.
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