An Argentinian man will receive some EUR 7,500 in damages from the Romanian state for the lengthy child custody trial in Romanian court, the European Courts of Human Rights has decided.

Adrian Rodolfo Ferrari, a 44-year old Argentinian military pilot now living in Buenos Aires, married a Romanian, who also got the Argentinian citizenship. The couple, officially based in Argentina, had a child in 2005. They however had to travel quite often, because of the husband’s job. While on a mission to Cyprus, the family decided the wife would take the Child to Romania for a couple of months, and return to Buenos Aires when the Cyprus contract ended. The Romanian wife however filed for divorce and custody of their child in fall 2007. The court approved the divorce in spring 2008, but did not issue a decision on the child custody. The father had asked for the child custody in the meantime, citing the Hague Convention for international child abduction.

It took the Romanian courts more than a year to decide the mother had brought the child to Romania legally. Two more years later, in the fall of 2011, a Romanian court finally granted the mother child custody, and visitation rights to the father.  Ferrari had only been in contact with his child three times since 2009.

The Argentinian received financial compensation for the lengthy process in Romania, less than the EUR 10,000 he requested, but he still has only visitation rights for his now 10-year old child. More on the trial facts and ECHR ruling, here.

editor@romania-insider.com