What began as a love story quickly turned into a nightmare for Adilah (name for anonymity), a Malaysian woman in her 40s who says she was deceived by her foreign husband.
The foreign husband allegedly used her name to grow his business empire in Malaysia, according to a report.
From Love to Betrayal
Adilah, who once ran a small eatery, met the man while she was still married to her first husband. At the time, the latter had fallen ill. The foreign businessman, who owned a nearby furniture shop, would often stop by a restaurant next to hers. Their casual encounters soon turned into friendship, and eventually fostered affection.
“I divorced my first husband and married him because I believed he was sincere,” she said. “At first, everything seemed fine. He never talked about his business matters. Life was okay.”
But soon after their marriage, Adilah’s husband became controlling — forbidding her from going anywhere alone and showing signs of jealousy. Not long after, he persuaded her to apply for a business license and register a company under her name with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), claiming it would help him expand his business legally.
Used for Profit
Out of love, Adilah agreed. The business flourished, generating impressive profits. However, her happiness did not last. She later discovered that her husband already had a wife in his home country — and had secretly married another foreign woman after her.
“I felt cheated. I helped him get the business license under my name and he made huge profits, but in the end, I was just being used,” she said.
Unable to bear the emotional strain, Adilah filed for divorce. But even after their separation, her ex-husband continued to operate the business under her name, paying her a small monthly “license fee.”
“I know it’s wrong, and I plan to cancel the license so he can’t keep exploiting my name. I just hope other women are more cautious when marrying foreigners so they don’t go through what I did,” she added.
Fuziah: Some Foreigners Exploit Marriages to Run Businesses
The case sheds light on what Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Fuziah Salleh had previously acknowledged. It showed that such cases are not isolated incidents. Speaking in the Dewan Negara, she said many foreigners seeking to run businesses in Malaysia end up marrying locals, because they cannot legally register companies under their own names.
Under the Registration of Businesses Act 1956, only Malaysian citizens and permanent residents are allowed to register sole proprietorships or partnerships.
“There are foreigners who take advantage by registering businesses under their Malaysian spouses’ names,” said Fuziah. “We’ve received complaints from local traders who feel threatened by these arrangements.”
Fuziah added that while these business registrations are technically legal since they’re made under Malaysian names, they blur the line between genuine partnerships and exploitative arrangements. Her ministry has also received public suggestions to restrict foreign spouses from registering businesses until after a set period of marriage — as a suggestion, five years.
What the Law Says About Marrying Foreign Workers
World of Buzz reports, according to the Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), foreign workers holding a Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS) are not allowed to marry locals. Doing so will result in their work permit being immediately revoked and may lead to deportation under the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155).
This rule was introduced to curb the growing number of foreign men who marry local women primarily to stay in the country and operate businesses through them.
Immigration Director-General Datuk Ruslin Jusoh explained that while immigration authorities cannot annul marriages, they can revoke a foreigner’s permit if the law is breached. “If a PLKS holder marries a local, we can revoke the permit immediately and deport the foreigner,” he said.
Locals who knowingly harbour or assist undocumented migrants can also face serious penalties under Section 55E(1) of the Act — including fines of up to S$3,070 (RM10,000), five years’ imprisonment, and even caning.
A Cautionary Tale
While genuine cross-border marriages are legal under Malaysian law, authorities have warned locals — especially women — to exercise caution. For Muslims, such marriages must comply with Syariah requirements, but deportation of a spouse can complicate divorce proceedings.
For Adilah, the experience has left emotional scars and a hard-earned lesson. “I was blinded by love. I thought we were building a life together, but I was only helping him build his empire,” she said.
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