Marriages under threat because of dubious weddings

For the day of the wedding the tablecloths were to have gold trimming and fresh flowers were to be cut. The bride insisted that there be a chill-out area for "stressed" guests. "But no doubt the most remarkable thing was that, getting married at a country estate on the outskirts of Madrid, the officiating judge was a Justice of the Peace from Cabanillas del Campo, a village in Guadalajara where I had never been in my life. He had been recommended to us!," says a man who was married last year and now fears that the wedding may be declared void. He is appalled at the thought of starting the paperwork all over again.

Now that fair weather is on the way, Madrid internet wedding forums are abuzz. "I want to have a civil wedding on the same date I kissed my boyfriend the first time, but it falls on a Sunday. But not in a town hall or courthouse. I want it to be in the same garden where it happened (...) Answer please, I'm very worried," writes one user. The answer of others is unanimous: contact the Justice of the Peace in Cabanillas del Campo.

Weddings with all the trimmings are often held on country estates that are much in demand on weekends. An inconvenient time and place for town councilors and mayors, who are also empowered to perform marriages. Officials who are available to perform marriages at any time are also much in demand. The firms that organize weddings, concerned to smooth the way for marrying couples, are on the lookout for officials who can make their job easier. One of these was Luis Alcázar.

The prosecutor's office in Móstoles, a municipality just south of Madrid, is investigating Alcázar for allegedly having married dozens of couples throughout the Madrid region, which is outside his jurisdiction. The prosecutor has taken statements from a number of couples and organizers involved in these matters. The weddings performed under these circumstances may be declared void. The Justice of the Peace (juez de paz), an official empowered to perform various formalities in municipalities where there is no magistrate's court, is also under investigation for having charged money for these weddings. The quantities, it seems, varied according to how far he had to travel. As he enjoys immunity by virtue of his office, the case has passed into the hands of the prosecutor's office in Guadalajara, judicial sources said.

Alcázar, now on sick leave, had contacted a number of firms that organize weddings around the Spanish capital.

"I know nothing at all about this. I have been having health problems, and have other things to think about," says Alcázar by phone, referring inquiries to his lawyer, Javier Lozoya.

Wedding-organizing firms have often resorted to Alcázar, though they knew he was acting outside his territory. "We take care of everything: flowers, banquet, makeup, hairstyling, transport, you name it. We also attend to the paperwork, which is a great hassle. One day this man called us up, offering his services. It seemed odd that he came from so far, but we understood that what he did was legal. Some couples went to his town to sign, others signed in the place where the wedding was held," says a representative of one of the many firms, telling her story in the courthouse in Móstoles. Alcázar performed weddings in many places, but one of the most exclusive venues was the La Chopera estate outside the town of Villaviciosa de Odón, near Madrid, where in September he married a couple from this town.

The criminal investigation against Alcázar began with a complaint made to the Civil Guard by a woman, also a Justice of the Peace, who suspected that he was committing irregularities. Alcázar's health is delicate. Those who know him define him as a "good man," who has held his post for more than 30 years, and signed the certificates in his town where he married couples legally, and then went to Madrid "to put on the show." As is the case in more and more weddings, the couple legally contracts matrimony before or after the event. For the ceremony they use an actor who plays the role of the official. The fact that this is a mere show is sometimes known only to the couple, sometimes to a few others. It remains to be seen whether Alcázar merely played this role or, on the contrary, signed the certificates in the same place as the ceremony after having settled on a monetary fee, which is totally irregular. "You pay through the nose," says one wedding-forum contributor, speaking of applying to have the procedures carried out in Cabanillas del Campo. "It cost me 250 euros," says another, adding to the discussion.

Now these weddings may be declared void. What Alcázar joined together the law may now pull apart.