Australian engineer Robert Pether reaches Ireland after more than five years in Iraq

Australian construction engineer Robert Pether arrived in Ireland on Monday on a flight via Turkey, after spending more than five years in Iraq. His case has long involved officials from several countries, and he has now spoken publicly for the first time since leaving.

Detention and charges

Pether and his Egyptian colleague Khalid Radwan were detained in Baghdad on 7 April 2021. They had flown in for a meeting with bank officials to resolve a dispute involving Pether's engineering firm, CME Consulting. Pether was later sentenced and fined over allegations that the firm spent money that should have gone to an architect and a subcontractor.

He was released from jail last year because his health was deteriorating, but he was barred from leaving the country. Last week an Iraqi court dismissed proceedings against him and lifted the travel ban, citing a lack of evidence. His departure followed painstaking negotiations involving officials in Ireland, Australia, Egypt and Iraq, together with an international pro bono team at Slaney Advisors.

Comments at Dublin airport

Speaking at Dublin airport, Pether said the convictions had not been overturned and that neither he nor Radwan had been exonerated. "We were innocent when we were taken on the 7th of April 2021, and we remain innocent today," he said. He added that he was released from prison hours away from death, with his body shutting down after months of critical illness and severe pain, yet he remained trapped in Iraq.

An emotional Pether paid tribute to his family, who had spent years campaigning for his freedom, including his wife, Desiree. He said coming home was incredible and the emotion of it could not be described.