A Fijian soldier serving in the British Army is accused of bigamy after he married his second wife in Kenya, when he had not yet divorced his first wife.
Last week, Sgt Noa Dravikula, 42, at a hearing in Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire insisted he did not understand what was happening because the ceremony was conducted in Swahili.
According to the Daily Mail, Dravikula had separated from his first wife but was not officially divorced when he tied the knot with a second woman in a Sharia wedding ceremony.
Prosecutors have alleged that the couple enjoyed an Islamic marriage ceremony, called a nikah in 2021 – which meant he was committing bigamy.
The report said Dravikula insisted he did not understand what was happening ‘because the marriage service was in the African language, which he does not speak.
The marriage came to the Army’s attention when the officer expressed his intentions to bring his newly-wed back to the United Kingdom with him.
Sgt Dravikula has denied the charge of bigamy.
