A court in Florence has suspended the planned marriage between an 86-year-old Italian man and an Albanian woman, 35 years his junior, after doubts about the elderly man’s ability to make a free and conscious decision.
The case, reported by Italian media, involves a widower who had recently lost his wife and had expressed a desire to remarry.
The couple had filed with the local administration in April to begin marriage procedures. During verifications, however, authorities raised doubts about the 86-year-old’s condition and the circumstances of the relationship.
Doubts about the elderly person’s condition
According to Italian media reports, the man appeared before family members and civil registry officials in a state described as confused. According to case documentation, he was unable to clearly explain the reasons for his decision to marry.
Further suspicions have been raised after the 86-year-old had given significant sums of money to the woman he planned to marry.
The focus of the verifications was also the document announcing the marriage. It stated the choice of the community of property regime, while the elderly man denied that the signature on the document was his.
According to reported data, the signature also looked different from the one he had placed on another document before the civil registrar.
Investigations have also revealed that the man had limited knowledge of his real estate, which has raised questions about his ability to assess the consequences of the decisions he was making.
The prosecution opens an investigation.
Based on these elements, the authorities ordered the suspension of the marriage ceremony. If the ceremony were to take place despite the measure, the registration of the marriage in the civil registry office would be blocked.
The Florence prosecutor’s office has also opened an investigation into suspicions of exploitation of a person who is unable to make free and conscious decisions, as provided for by Italian legislation.
In this proceeding, the 86-year-old is considered the injured party or potential victim.
The investigation is expected to determine whether the relationship between the two people and the financial actions were the result of free decision-making on the part of the elderly man or whether he was influenced or manipulated.
Until the investigation is completed and a court decision is made, any criminal liability remains unproven.