Australian engineer Robert Pether has left Iraq after more than five years of detention and travel restrictions, and was reunited with his family at Dublin Airport on Monday, Ireland's RTE reported.
An ordeal that began in 2021
Pether, 50, was arrested in April 2021 and jailed in August that year alongside his Egyptian colleague Khaled Radwan. Both men were each sentenced to five years in prison and fined $12 million after a contract dispute between their employer, Dubai-based CME Consulting, and the authorities in Baghdad. Pether had been working as a mechanical engineer on the rebuild of the Central Bank of Iraq's headquarters.
UN called the detention illegal
The case drew international criticism. The United Nations said Pether's detention was illegal, and an international court later found his employer was not responsible for the underlying business dispute. Pether was released from prison in Baghdad in June last year but was barred from leaving Iraq over financial claims linked to the case.
A reunion in Dublin
His arrival in Dublin ended the standoff. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: "The Australian government welcomes the Iraqi government's decision to allow Robert Pether to leave Iraq today," adding she had spoken to him shortly before his departure. His wife Desree told the BBC she was "hugely relieved," calling the episode "an absolute nightmare."
Khaled Radwan has also now left Iraq, closing one of the region's most closely watched wrongful-detention cases.
Sources: Dubai resident leaves Iraq after being detained for five years (The National) | Australian engineer detained in Iraq for years reunited with family in Ireland (Saudi Gazette)
An ordeal that began in 2021
Pether, 50, was arrested in April 2021 and jailed in August that year alongside his Egyptian colleague Khaled Radwan. Both men were each sentenced to five years in prison and fined $12 million after a contract dispute between their employer, Dubai-based CME Consulting, and the authorities in Baghdad. Pether had been working as a mechanical engineer on the rebuild of the Central Bank of Iraq's headquarters.
UN called the detention illegal
The case drew international criticism. The United Nations said Pether's detention was illegal, and an international court later found his employer was not responsible for the underlying business dispute. Pether was released from prison in Baghdad in June last year but was barred from leaving Iraq over financial claims linked to the case.
A reunion in Dublin
His arrival in Dublin ended the standoff. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: "The Australian government welcomes the Iraqi government's decision to allow Robert Pether to leave Iraq today," adding she had spoken to him shortly before his departure. His wife Desree told the BBC she was "hugely relieved," calling the episode "an absolute nightmare."
Khaled Radwan has also now left Iraq, closing one of the region's most closely watched wrongful-detention cases.
Sources: Dubai resident leaves Iraq after being detained for five years (The National) | Australian engineer detained in Iraq for years reunited with family in Ireland (Saudi Gazette)
