The Malta Independent Online

Michael Carabott

A 32-year-old French woman and her 65-year-old US husband are currently battling it out in the Maltese courts for the custody of their two children.

Monique Grecula claimed her husband Ronald fled the US two years ago, taking their two children with them. She managed to trace them in Malta and travelled here to fight for their custody. She is claiming that Ronald Grecula is a fugitive from US justice and a number of warrants for his arrest were issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Ms Grecula filed the application on Wednesday, and her husband was arrested under suspicion of being an illegal immigrant. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Ray Pace, therefore awarded provisional custody of the children to Ms Grecula pending the outcome of events.

Ms Grecula said she and her husband were still married but were separated and have two children, Berenger Jamie Grecula, 10, and Emilie Gigi Grecula, aged three. Mr Grecula works as an engineer with a US company and is carrying out research in Malta.

Ms Grecula, a flight attendant, is claiming that a court ruling by the Court of Common Pleas of Monroe County, awarded the couple joint custody of the children, but the mother was nominated as primary carer by the court on 26 October 2000.

She explained to the court that she and her husband had agreed to share custody of the children over the holidays, and as she had decided to have them from Christmas 2000, her husband was to take them for the US national holiday Thanksgiving.

She said her husband disappeared with the children on 26 November 2000 and left the US without a trace. She reported the matter to the police and when Mr Grecula could not be traced, the Monroe Court withdrew the dual custody order and awarded her sole custody of the children.

In her application to the court, the woman said her husband was also a fugitive from US justice after abducting the children due to the number of warrants for his arrest issued by FBI.

Suspecting that Mr Grecula was in Malta illegally with plans to leave the country with the children, she filed a prohibitory injunction in the local law courts to prevent him from leaving Malta.

Ms Grecula also claimed her husband was often violent with her and used psychological intimidation on both her and the children. She claimed this was clear testimony of his stopping at nothing to get custody of the children.

In her testimony yesterday she said she now lives with her boyfriend, who works as a flight attendant in the same company as her, Continental Airlines.

She also told the court she did not leave her husband, but was thrown out of their house, adding that throughout their marriage her husband was often arrested for his violent behaviour.

Mr Grecula however testified that he was the victim of constant taunting and harassment by his wife and her boyfriend.

“I thought she was an unfit mother because she works on planes and often leaves the children in the custody of that man (her boyfriend),” he said.

Mr Grecula said he was never violent with his wife. “It was the other way round, she was temperamental and prone to flare-ups,” he said.

The only time he ever raised his hands in fact was to defend himself when his wife attacked him with a knife, he claimed.

Ms Grecula requested the court to award her custody of Berenger and Emilie Grecula and said: “I never harassed my husband and I never pulled a knife on him as he claimed.”

She also requested the court to authorise her to leave the country and return to the United States with the children.

This, she said, would be in conformity with the court decree issued in her favour by the Monroe County Court on 6 November 2001.

The case continues on Monday.

Dr Josie Pace appeared for Mr Grecula while Dr Aron Mifsud Bonnici and legal procurator Sharon Mizzi appeared for Ms Grecula.