A Maltese father's ongoing legal battle to safeguard the best interests of his minor child today reached an important milestone when a family court ordered the issue of a warrant prohibiting his Russian mother from travelling with the couple's child out of Malta during the next nine years.

The estranged couple have been wrangling over the care and custody of their eight-year-old son ever since the woman suddenly disappeared with the child during a holiday in the Czech Republic in December 2015.

The woman was finally traced and arrested in Poland in January 2016 just as she was attempting to cross the border into Belarus in the hope of taking the boy out of the EU with her final destination being Russia.

Polish authorities had returned the child to his father who was entrusted with the care and custody of the boy by the Maltese courts.

Today a family court, presided by Madame Justice Abigail Lofaro, upheld the father's request for the issue of a warrant of prohibitory injunction preventing the mother from taking her son out of Malta until 2026 when the boy is to reach adulthood.

The court also ordered the issue of a passport in favour of the boy and its regular renewal without any need of the mother's approval.

Lawyer Edward Debono appeared for the father and son.