Cuban man’s Israeli citzenship revoked over sham marriage
The Beersheba Administrative Affairs Court has ordered the revocation of the Israeli citizenship of a Cuban national after determining that he obtained it through a fictitious marriage to an Israeli citizen, the Justice Ministry announced on Monday.
According to a statement from the Southern District Attorney’s Office, the court accepted a petition filed by the Population and Immigration Authority seeking to cancel the citizenship of Wilfredo Plaites Capota, who immigrated to Israel in 2011 and received citizenship under the Law of Return’s provisions for spouses of Israeli citizens.
The petition, filed by attorney Yosefa Atli Sahar of the Southern District Attorney’s Office’s Civil Division, alleged that Capota secured his legal status in Israel through a marriage that was not genuine and was entered into solely for immigration purposes.
The case began in 2012, when the Interior Ministry received an anonymous letter raising suspicions that the marriage was fictitious. Interviews conducted with the couple later revealed that they had separated approximately two months after arriving in Israel.
According to the state’s submission, Capota admitted during questioning that the marriage was intended to help him obtain legal status in Israel and improve his quality of life. He left Israel in 2016 and has not returned since.
The state argued that Capota’s citizenship had been obtained on the basis of false information and, therefore, should be revoked. Authorities also detailed efforts to locate him in Cuba and Canada in order to notify him of the proceedings. Those efforts included outreach through diplomatic channels, social media platforms, and alternative methods of legal service, but were unsuccessful.
Deputy President of the Beersheba Administrative Affairs Court, Judge Yael Raz-Levy, accepted the state’s position, finding that the evidence presented to the court demonstrated that the citizenship had been acquired through misrepresentation and that the marriage did not constitute a genuine marital relationship.
In her ruling, Raz-Levy also noted that Capota’s departure from Israel in 2016 and his prolonged absence since then significantly weakened his connection to the country. Citizenship, she wrote, is intended to reflect a meaningful and ongoing bond with the State of Israel.
The judge further emphasized that revoking citizenship serves the public interest by protecting state sovereignty and preserving the integrity of Israel’s immigration and citizenship laws. She added that the decision helps prevent abuse of marriage as a means of obtaining legal status through improper means.
The court nevertheless ruled that Capota may request the cancellation of the judgment within 30 days of becoming aware of it, at which point a new hearing would be scheduled.