Tourist mistaken for fugitive spends nearly a month in prison
A Romanian tourist has spent nearly a month in prison after police mistook him for a wanted criminal.
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"The nightmare is over," Ovidiu A. said as he left Pordenone prison in northern Italy on Thursday, the local newspaper reported.
"He was finally able to reunite with his family," his lawyer Stefano De Rosa told AFP who had been waiting for him since August 24, the day of his arrest.
Originally from Iasi, Romania, the 39-year-old had come to visit family in Caorle, near Venice.
He soon find out he shares a name with a wanted Romanian criminal, previously sentenced to two years in prison in Italy for aggravated theft.
His 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," his lawyer said.
He "has decided to enjoy at least a few days at the beach , which had been his goal," the local newspaper added.
"The damage was enormous, but he faced it with great dignity and calm ," his lawyer told them.