The Hongkou District People's Court yesterday invalidated a divorce certificate issued to local residents Zhang Zhen and Chen Can by the Hongkou District Civil Affairs Bureau in May 2002.
Zhang filed suit against the Hongkou District Civil Affairs Bureau this March and asked the court to invalidate the certificate, saying she never agreed to the split.
She said in her lawsuit that she had been in Japan since July 2001 and came home last year.
"I couldn't be in the city to get the certificate with Chen in 2002," she said.
According to the bureau's regulations, both husband and wife must come to its office together to get a divorce certificate.
The representative for the bureau told the court Chen came to their office with a woman who claimed she was Zhang Zhen.
They provided all the necessary documents, the representative said.
The official who helped handle their case said the woman looked just like Zhang.
"I didn't have any suspicion at that time and gave them the divorce certificate," the official said.
Chen explained to the court the woman was Zhang's sister.
Zhang has never came home after she went to Japan in July 2001, Chen said.
The couple didn't even stay in contact with one another, the court heard.
"I felt desperate about our marriage and wanted to get divorced," Chen told the court. "And I had all of Zhang's documents."
Since he couldn't find Zhang, he asked Zhang's sister for help. Zhang's sister agreed.
"She didn't attend court, so we don't know why she agreed," a court official said.
Zhang learned the news at the end of last year. Surprised and angry, she came back immediately and filed suit.
The civil affairs bureau said in the court yesterday that it agreed to invalidate the divorce certificate as it learned the truth.