Tourist mistaken for wanted fugitive spends nearly a month in Italian prison: “The nightmare is over”

A Romanian tourist spent nearly a month in prison after police mistook him for a wanted criminal on the first day of his holiday in Italy, his lawyer said on Friday.

“The nightmare is over,” Ovidiu A. said as he left Pordenone prison in northern Italy on Thursday, local newspaper Corriere del Veneto reported.

“He was finally able to reunite with his family,” who had been waiting for him since August 24, the day of his arrest, his lawyer Stefano De Rosa told AFP.

Originally from Iasi, Romania, Ovidiu A. had come to spend a few days with his family in Caorle, near Venice.

He would soon find out he shares a name with a wanted Romanian criminal, previously sentenced to two years in prison in Italy for aggravated theft.

The name, registered at the hotel upon arrival, triggered an alert, and the tourist was arrested by the carabinieri at his first breakfast.

His lawyer explained he had struggled to gather evidence proving it was a case of mistaken identity, as the initial trial for aggravated theft dated back to 2014 and the final sentencing to 2020.

“The computer systems of the police, prison, court and carabinieri do not communicate with each other. I had to request documentation from each office,” he said.

According to Corriere del Veneto, the tourist and his family are expected to continue their holiday in Italy for a few more days before returning to Romania.

He “has decided to enjoy at least a few days at the beach , which had been his goal,” the newspaper reported.

“The damage was enormous, but he faced it with great dignity and calm ,” his lawyer told  Corriere del Veneto.