Man with 20 wives accused of Rape

Thu, 19 Jul 2001 Source: --

A 56-year-old Egyptian businessman named el-Suweirky is in deep water, and there's no shore in sight.

First, he is accused of withholding his marital status in order to marry 19-year-old Rania Izzat. And second, his estimated 20 to 24 wives are way over the four-wife Islamic limit.

Withholding his marital status is tantamount to tricking Rania into having sex -- rape by Egyptian law.

According to the law, a man who doesn't declare his other wives before a new marriage can face up to six months in jail. But since he tricked a woman into having illicit sex, he faces up to 15 years in jail.

Source: --