A Romanian man’s dream holiday in Italy turned into a harrowing ordeal after he was wrongly jailed for nearly a month when police confused him with a wanted criminal.
Ovidiu A., originally from Iasi, Romania, was arrested on August 24, the very first day of his trip with family in Caorle, near Venice. What should have been a breakfast by the seaside quickly turned into a nightmare when his hotel check-in triggered a police alert. Authorities mistook him for another Romanian with the same name who had been sentenced in Italy for aggravated theft.
“The nightmare is over,” Ovidiu said with relief as he walked free from Pordenone prison on September 18, according to Corriere del Veneto. His lawyer, Stefano De Rosa, told AFP that his client was finally able to reunite with his loved ones after weeks apart.
The legal battle to prove his innocence was far from simple. De Rosa explained that the records of police, courts, and prison systems were not connected, forcing him to painstakingly request documents from different offices. The theft case dated back to 2014, with sentencing finalized in 2020, which further complicated matters.
Despite the ordeal, the family is trying to salvage what remains of their vacation. Local reports said they plan to stay in Italy a few more days before returning to Romania.
