Only four cases of divorce turned down since 2011

Sunday newspaper Illum reveals that a total of 1,086 divorce applications were filed by January 2014, out of which only four were denied.

907 applications have been decided, including 60 applications to convert separations into divorce. 180 cases remain pending, of which the majority were filed last year.

Introduced in October 2011 via a referendum, divorce saw lobbyists and anti-divorce movements at loggerheads prior to a referendum. Previously, Malta acknowledged divorce decrees by foreign courts, but Maltese courts could not administer and decide divorce cases.

The largest amount of divorce applications was filed in the first weeks following the introduction of divorce in Maltese legislation. Indeed, between October and December 2011, 222 divorce applications were submitted in such a short span.

This continued to increase to 422 in 2012, before decreasing last year to 340 applications, Illum reports.

Read more in today’s issue of Illum.