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Has Malaysian Sultan Muhammad V divorced his Russian wife Oksana Voevodina?
- Local media this week reported the couple filed for divorce in May, soon after the birth of their son
- Discussion of the private lives of Malaysian royals is muted, largely due to the country’s tough sedition laws
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The secretive marriage of Malaysia’s Sultan Muhammad V to Russian beauty queen Oksana Voevodina has once again become a source of heightened intrigue after local media reported the pair have split just months after their wedding and the birth of their first child.
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Muhammad V, the hereditary monarch of the state of Kelantan, married Oksana last year in a lavish private ceremony in Moscow. Their marriage attracted particular attention as the sultan was at the time the country’s Yang di Pertuan Agong – the title held by the ceremonial head of state which is rotated among the nine Malay sultans every five years.
The 49-year-old stunned the country by abdicating in January just two years into this term, offering no reason for the unprecedented decision. Commentators suggested his abdication was prompted by opposition within royal circles to his marriage to Oksana, a foreigner nearly 23 years younger.
Local media this week reported the couple filed for divorce in May, soon after the birth of their son. The New Straits Times on Wednesday reported the legal dissolution of the marriage was finalised at the Singapore Sharia Court earlier this month. The newspaper cited a source verifying the image of the divorce certificate circulating online was genuine.
The certificate states the divorce was undertaken through the mechanism under Muslim law known as “triple talaq”, whereby men can divorce their wives by saying the word “talaq” or “divorce” in Arabic, three times.
A triple talaq, as opposed to a single talaq, is considered the severest form of divorce under Islamic jurisprudence because the couple cannot reunite unless the woman weds another man, consummates the marriage, and then divorces him.
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Separately, local broadcaster Astro Awani also reported the divorce on Monday.
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