A man who was only allowed to see his son for a total of five hours in eight months because of a lengthy court procedure has filed an application to the Family Court asking for his case to be heard with urgency.

Ibrahim Mahmud Gihani, a Libyan who lives in Italy told a news conference yesterday that he was married to Maha Emhemeed Ezzdin Beck Derna, a Libyan who now lives in Malta with her parents.

The couple were married in Libya in 2007. They had their child in Malta in September 2008 and were divorced in Libya in 2009. Later that year, the Libyan courts granted Dr Gihani once weekly access to the child.

But when he went to enforce his rights, his former brother-in-law told him that his ex-wife was living in Malta and had taken their child with her.

He came to Malta to try to see his son but Ms Beck Derna and her parents refused him access. This was 2010.

Dr Gihani said he flew back to Libya and after some time the revolution took off. Because of this, he could not leave Libya.

But as soon as he could he returned to Malta and embarked on proceedings in the Maltese courts to see his son.

The mediation process which precedes cases in the Family Court began last December. This lasted eight months during which he only saw his son for a total of five hours, he said.

Dr Gihani said he had now filed an application for the court case to be heard and decided upon with urgency so that he could start to see his son, who was now four years old.

Defence lawyer Emmy Bezzina described the mediation process as “a big disappointment”.

Courts, he said, should and have the power to hear these cases, which were needlessly lengthened, within one day.

The courts and the judiciary, he insisted, should be given the resources to deal with these urgent family matters.