**An American father has been reunited with his nine-year-old son after a bitter, five-year custody battle with the boy’s Brazilian relatives.**The Brazilian family brought Sean Goldman through a crowd of reporters to the US consulate in Rio de Janeiro to be reunited with his father, David.
Sean was taken to Brazil by Mr Goldman’s now-deceased ex-wife.
The case became a high-profile issue, stalling the passage of a trade bill with Brazil in the US Senate.
Sean’s Brazilian grandmother and stepfather brought him to the US consulate in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday morning in line with a court ruling.
“This is a very difficult moment,” Silvana Bianchi said.
The head of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Gilmar Mendes, said on Tuesday that the boy should be returned to his father in line with the ruling by a lower court and in accordance with international custody accords.
The custody battle began when Mr Goldman’s wife, Bruna Bianchi, took Sean to her native Brazil ostensibly for a two-week holiday in 2004.
She stayed, got a divorce and married a prominent lawyer, Joao Paulo Lins e Silva.
Mr Goldman launched a legal fight to win custody of his son. When Ms Bianchi died in childbirth in 2008, Mr Lins e Silva continued the battle to keep Sean and won temporary custody.
US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both pressed their Brazilian counterparts on the issue.
Last week, the legal fight appeared over when a Brazilian appeals court ruled that Sean should be handed over to his father.
But when another court ruled against this, US Senator Frank Lautenberg blocked renewal of a trade bill with Brazil.
When news of the Supreme Court’s ruling came through, Sen Lautenberg lifted his opposition and the bill was passed unanimously.
Silvana Bianchi said the custody issue had been decided by international pressure.