Key legal question
Whether the applicant had a right to renewal of the residence permit under Art. 7 ANAG despite the spouses' long separation.
Extracted holding
No. The reliance on the marriage was abusive because the marriage existed only formally and there was no realistic prospect of resuming the common life.
Extracted reasoning
Art. 7 ANAG protects the spouse relationship only while it serves a genuine marital community. Where the Swiss spouse has lived abroad for years and a return is not to be expected, the foreign spouse cannot invoke the marriage solely to secure continued stay in Switzerland.