Man faces jail over lying in divorce case

A CHAREDI man will “almost inevitably” face a jail sentence after he admitted lying to a judge in civil divorce proceedings.

Appearing at Harrow Crown Court today, Moshe Charazi, of Stamford Hill, London, pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury, but denied one count of perverting the course of justice. He will be sentenced on June 23.

He admitted deceiving a judge in getting a divorce, claiming not to know his wife’s whereabouts or that she claimed he had fathered her child.

Charazi was accused of “circumventing the law” in obtaining a civil divorce, after negotiations with his wife over a get stalled. He claimed she had sought approximately £385,000 for child maintenance. Charazi disputes he is the father of her child and his name does not appear on the birth certificate.

Hearing his plea, Judge Rosa Dean said: “It is almost inevitable a case like this leads to a custodial sentence. If the purpose was to prevent his wife from getting a get, this will be an aggravating feature.”

Without a religious divorce, his wife is unable to get remarried, and any child she bears from a subsequent relationship would be considered illegitimate.

Nigel Leskin, defending Charazi, told the court his client was entitled to seek a civil divorce after it became apparent a get would not be granted. Although Charazi lied in two divorce applications — in November 2007 and February 2008 — he had never accepted responsibility for the child.

Mr Leskin said Charazi had obtained the divorce in order to marry another woman, who he wed in 2009.

Two of Charazi’s five children from that marriage are severely disabled, Mr Leskin added, suggesting an immediate custodial sentence would not be appropriate.