COPENHAGEN, August 19, 2008 (AFP) - An Iraqi refugee ordered by Denmark to divorce one of his two wives if he wanted to stay in the Scandinavian country returned to his homeland to avoid splitting his family, his lawyer said Tuesday.

'Most of all his wives are saddened by this affair; they don't feel welcome in Denmark,' Marianne Voelund told AFP.

The man, whose name has not been revealed, his wives and three children returned to Iraq last week.

They had been granted asylum last year after he worked as an interpreter for the Danish battalion in Iraq.

He received an order from the justice ministry at the end of April to choose between his wives by May 26.

As the family refused to split, 'the family affairs department sent the case to the judicial authorities which will decide whether or not to annul the second marriage,' said Voelund.

No date for a hearing has been set.

The family returned to Iraq because they are disappointed with Denmark and because they miss their loved ones in Iraq, she said, adding that they were hoping that a Danish court will ultimately rule in their favour.

Should a judge decide not to annul the second marriage, they may return to Denmark, said Voelund.

Islam allows men to take up to four wives, but bigamy is illegal in Denmark.

The Danish government decided last year, when it withdrew its troops from Iraq, to evacuate the Danish army's Iraqi interpreters and their families.

Danish officials have pointed out that all three adults in the family of the interpreter in question were granted asylum individually and would all be permitted to stay in the Scandinavian country following a divorce.

The case, widely reported in the Danish media, had political repercussions, with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen pressed to take a stand on the issue.

'In my opinion, bigamy is not acceptable and is against the law' in Denmark, he said in April.