Australian engineer freed from Iraqi prison after four years

After spending more than four years in an Iraqi prison, Australian engineer Robert Pether has been granted a conditional release — a development welcomed by his family and supporters.

Pether, 50, was arrested in 2021 alongside a colleague over a contract dispute involving their employer, CME Consulting, and the Central Bank of Iraq. The pair were later convicted of fraud and sentenced to five years in prison and a USD 12 million fine. However, the UN has described Pether’s detention as arbitrary and in violation of international law, while a 2022 ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce found the Iraqi central bank to be at fault in the business dispute.

Pether's wife, Desree, who lives in Ireland with the couple’s family, described the news as a moment of mixed emotions.
“It’s the first time in over four years that we’ve taken one step in the right direction,” she told the BBC. “There’s a tiny glimmer of hope, but there’s another mountain still to go over. He needs to be home and in hospital.”

According to Desree, her husband is in poor health after years of incarceration. He is unable to keep food down and has reportedly not eaten properly in months. She also raised concerns that he may be suffering a relapse of skin cancer. “He’s unrecognisable. If he got on a plane now and they were checking his passport, they would not know it was the same person,” she said.

Although freed from prison, Pether is still facing legal proceedings in Iraq and remains under a travel ban. The family has now launched a crowdfunding campaign in the hopes of securing private hospital treatment for him in Baghdad.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the release as a "positive development" following years of advocacy. "I know the personal toll Mr Pether’s detention has taken on him and his family and hope this news brings a measure of relief after years of distress," she said, adding that Australia remains concerned about his health and the unresolved legal matters.

Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris also welcomed the news, saying that Iraq’s Foreign Minister had personally confirmed Pether’s release in a phone call. “I welcomed this as a first step to his being allowed to return to his family in Roscommon,” Harris said.

Pether had been living in County Roscommon prior to his arrest and had spent nearly a decade working in the Middle East. He was leading a major reconstruction project for the Central Bank’s Baghdad headquarters when he and his Egyptian colleague Khalid Radwan were detained.

Desree Pether, who spoke with her husband by phone after his release, said he was emotionally overwhelmed. “He’s on a bit of a high tonight, but I think he’ll probably come crashing down tomorrow,” she said. “Enough is enough. He needs to come home.”