Australian engineer Robert Pether has left Iraq after spending five years entangled in a legal dispute that led to his imprisonment on fraud charges, despite the United Nations describing his detention as arbitrary.
The 51-year-old was arrested in 2021 alongside his Egyptian colleague, Khalid Radwan, following a disagreement between their employer, CME Consulting, and the Central Bank of Iraq over a construction project.
The Australian government confirmed on Monday that Pether was travelling to reunite with his family in Ireland, where his wife and children had feared he might die in prison.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said his release and departure followed years of sustained diplomatic efforts by Australian and Irish authorities. She also disclosed that she had spoken with Pether shortly before he left Baghdad and expressed relief that he was finally free to move forward with his life.
Pether’s wife, Desree, described the experience as a nightmare, particularly in recent months, when numerous obstacles threatened to delay his return. She said the family had waited until he was safely on his journey before publicly discussing the development.
Although Pether was conditionally released from prison in 2025, Iraqi authorities had prevented him from leaving the country while the possibility of further legal proceedings remained.
Before his arrest, Pether had worked across the Middle East for nearly a decade. In 2015, he became involved in a major reconstruction project at the Central Bank of Iraq’s headquarters in Baghdad.
The bank later accused Pether and Radwan of misappropriating funds connected to the project. After spending almost six months in detention without formal charges, the two men were tried and each sentenced to five years in prison. They were also ordered to pay a combined fine of $12 million.
However, a United Nations report published in 2022 concluded that their detention violated international law and found that they had been subjected to abusive and coercive interrogations. The Iraqi government has previously denied allegations of mistreatment.
The dispute also went before the International Chamber of Commerce’s Court of Arbitration, which ruled in 2023 that the Iraqi central bank was responsible for the contractual disagreement and ordered it to pay CME Consulting $13 million.
Pether’s departure from Iraq marks the end of a prolonged legal and diplomatic ordeal, allowing him to return to his family after years of separation.
