SHE was horrified when she found a wedding certificate bearing her husband's name and that of another woman.

Only then did 36-year-old Xu Peiyi, a housewife in Penang, find out her husband was having an affair with a Chinese national, Guang Ming Daily reported.

When she told her husband she wanted a divorce, he instead accused her of wanting to leave him for another man.

Ms Xu has since approached the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) for help.

In her account, she said she had married her husband in 1999. The couple has two children, aged 6 and 7. Her husband runs a business selling health food.

Last year, Ms Xu was doing housework when she chanced upon a wedding certificate bearing her husband's name and that of a 29-year-old Chinese national.

The certificate indicated that the marriage took place in 2006. Upon closer examination, Ms Xu realised the witnesses listed on the certificate were the same witnesses who had been present at her own wedding.

The location of the wedding solemnisation, as indicated on the certificate, was also the same as hers.

She realised then that the certificate was, in fact, forged.

She said: 'I found my husband's old handphone and it contained many photos taken at his wedding with the other woman.'

Ms Xu said cracks had begun to form in her marriage late last year. At the time, she had initiated a divorce but her husband refused.

She moved out of her matrimonial home, and left both their children in the care of her mother-in-law.

She claimed that when she had brought up her divorce, her husband questioned whether there was another man in her life.

Saddled with debt

Ms Xu said her husband had also left her saddled with more than RM 180,000 ($75,000) in debt.

She said: 'The loans for both our cars and for my husband's company were taken out in my name.

'Now, the bank is coming after me to repay the loans, which were not even taken out by me.'

After further investigation, Ms Xu found that her husband's business had failed and that he had been declared bankrupt last January.

She said that all she now wants is to divorce her husband, and hopes he will resolve the financial issues as soon as possible.

When contacted, Ms Xu's husband confirmed that he had held a customary wedding with the Chinese woman last July in her hometown in China.

However, he said he had not registered that marriage in China or in Malaysia.

He also claimed that he had no idea why his wife had come into possession of the second marriage certificate bearing his name.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Oct 11, 2008.