The Court of Appeal has overturned a lower court verdict that revoked a mother’s custody of her children because she lives abroad and was unable to comply with visitation arrangements, ruling that relocation alone does not constitute sufficient grounds for terminating custody.
The court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the woman’s former husband seeking to revoke her custody, finding no legal basis to transfer custody from the mother, reports Al-Anba daily. Attorney Asil Al-Saif said the defense team challenged the initial ruling before the Court of Appeal, requesting that it be overturned and the custody revocation claim dismissed.
The court ultimately upheld the mother’s custody, emphasizing that travelling or residing abroad does not, in itself, justify withdrawing custody unless it is established that the move harms the children’s best interests or violates the legal conditions governing custody.
The ruling underscores the importance of the children’s welfare in custody disputes, indicating that decisions to revoke custody must be based on legally established grounds rather than the custodian’s relocation alone.