Latest news with #Pether
Extra.ie
26-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Irish wife of detained engineer fears husband will die in Iraqi cell
The heartbroken Irish wife of an Australian who was jailed in Iraq has revealed he has 'passed out' on numerous occasions in the past three weeks due to the poor conditions in prison. Desree Pether, who lives in Co. Roscommon, said seeing her husband Robert's health deteriorating is 'like watching him being murdered in slow motion', and that he is so weak that any food other than potatoes and rice makes him ill. Mr Pether, a 49-year-old construction engineer, was jailed in Baghdad amid a € 20 million contract dispute between his Dubai-based employer and the Central Bank of Iraq and was convicted of fraud in 2021. Rob Pether's family is 'living in fear' that he may die in an Iraqi jail. Pic: File The UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention claimed Mr Pether was 'forcibly disappeared' and has called for his immediate release. 'He is that poorly he hasn't the voice to speak on the phone,' Ms Pether said. 'Myself and the kids have to email him daily as he can barely speak when we call.' The couple have two sons, Flynn, 22, and Oscar, 16, and a 13-year-old daughter, Nala. 'It breaks my heart when I think of all the milestones he has missed, like Flynn's 21st. He basically never saw his kids grow up, and we can never get that time back,' Ms Pether said. Rob Pether's family is 'living in fear' that he may die in an Iraqi jail. Pic: File 'Rob was a pawn in a dispute between the Iraqi government and his employers over outstanding invoices. When he was last home, I warned him not to go back until that had been resolved, so when I see him again, he'll be reminded he should have listened to me.' Ms Pether also said that her husband was due to be released in January, before new allegations were made against him of money laundering. Mr Pether's Egyptian colleague is also being detained. 'We're in a new level of hell because this new fabricated case could mean a life sentence,' she continued. 'He's 49 and he looks like he's in his 70s, he's skin and bones. I have multiple sclerosis, and now a list of health issues which I never had before. I'm just getting sicker and sicker, and it's really hard on the kids to see me deteriorate so much.' Rob Pether's family is 'living in fear' that he may die in an Iraqi jail. Pic: File Tánaiste Simon Harris recently met with high-ranking Iraqi officials to discuss the matter, but Ms Pether believes it had little effect. 'As a family, we are grateful for the Irish Government's help; they have gone above and beyond their duty, but the intervention has achieved nothing. The Iraqis can't be seen to admit they were wrong,' she said. 'An international report and three separate UN court rulings have declared that Rob is innocent and is being held as leverage in the dispute, but Iraq still won't budge. 'Iraq is a signature to the New York Convention on arbitration and is compelled to abide by international rulings but has refused to. Rob hasn't been able to keep much food down for the last three months and is so malnourished that he can hardly walk. 'We were 20 years married last October and had planned a ceremony to renew our marriage vows, but that was snatched away from us. 'My dream is that Rob will return fit and able to do that with me, but I am scared that dream won't be realised.'
RTÉ News
02-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Harris to meet Iraqi counterpart to discuss Pether case
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris will today hold talks with his counterpart from Iraq to press the case of Roscommon resident Robert Pether, who has been detained in Iraq for four years. Mr Harris sought the meeting with Dr Fuad Hussein, the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, in order to raise what the United Nations has described as the "arbitrary detention" of Mr Pether. The Australian national, who had been living in Elphin Co Roscommon with his family, was arrested in April 2021 and later jailed on fraud charges. The Tánaiste has been in touch with his family who are campaigning for his release. "I look forward to discussing with my counterpart from Iraq, the case of Robert Pether, whose detention in an Iraqi prison is a cause of considerable concern and distress for his family," Mr Harris said. "It is vital that that Mr Pether's situation is examined thoroughly to ensure due process prevails," he added. A mechanical engineer, Mr Pether had worked in the Middle East for almost a decade before taking on a huge rebuild of Iraq's Central Bank headquarters in Baghdad in 2015. Towards the end of the project, a dispute arose between the bank and the company Mr Pether worked for, which landed Mr Pether and his Egyptian engineer colleague Khalid Radwan in prison, after the bank accused the men of stealing money from the project. Lawyers for the men say they are "hostages in a contract dispute". Mr Pether's family had expected Mr Pether to be released in January this year, however fresh charges of money laundering were made against him. His family say the charges are a twisted interpretation of the law.
BreakingNews.ie
23-04-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Roscommon resident marks his 50th birthday in Iraqi jail
A Roscommon resident has marked his 50th birthday in an Iraqi jail as his family continue to campaign to secure his release. Robert Pether, an Australian national who had been living in Elphin with his family, was arrested in Baghdad in April 2021 and later jailed on fraud charges. Advertisement The United Nations has described it as an arbitrary detention. The construction engineer was jailed after a €20 million contract row between his Dubai-based employer and the Central Bank of Iraq. His family expected him home at Christmas last year but instead were devastated to learn he was facing more charges and could now be jailed for another 15 years. Ireland Irish resident sentenced to imprisonment in Iraq f... Read More His wife, Desree, told the Roscommon Herald that it came as shock to learn he was arrested again and is being held pending new charges which she says are a spin-off from the ones in 2021. 'We haven't seen an arrest warrant. They didn't tell us, no one knew what was going on,' she said. The family are also faced with selling their home due to mounting legal costs. Mr Pether applied for Irish citizenship before he was sentenced. Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane has called for his release, while former senator Eugene Murphy said the situation needs to be brought to an end with the release of Mr Pether.
The National
09-04-2025
- Business
- The National
US calls for release of Dubai resident jailed in Iraq over contract dispute
The US has backed efforts to secure the release of a Dubai resident who has been detained in Iraq for more than four years over a contract dispute. The US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (Speha) made the call on the social media platform X on Wednesday evening, asking for Iraq to release the Australian citizen Robert Pether, who was jailed in 2021 and fined $12 million after a contract dispute between his employer and the authorities in Iraq. The National reported earlier this week that the Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong had called for Mr Pether to be returned home to his family. He has not been released despite having served his sentence. "We stand with our Australian partners in calling for the release of Robert Pether, following the end of his custodial sentence," the post on X from Speha stated. "We hope to see him reunited with his family as soon as possible." The intervention from the US was welcomed by Mr Pether's wife. "We are delighted. We have been trying for this [US involvement] for some time," said Desree Pether, speaking to The National. "Enough is enough. This [Robert's detention] is wrong and there are international court rulings stating that Robert is innocent and should never have been arrested in the first place." The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued a report in 2022 describing Mr Pether's imprisonment as 'arbitrary and in contravention of international law'. A ruling in 2023 by the International Chamber of Commerce's International Court of Arbitration said that the central bank was to blame for the contractual dispute. Mr Pether and his Egyptian co-worker Khaled Radwan were arrested in 2021 when they travelled to Iraq for what they thought was a routine business meeting. Employed as an engineer in Dubai for CME, Mr Pether was contracted to work on the central bank's headquarters on the banks of the Tigris River. The men were detained at the meeting and have remained in custody since, having each received a five-year jail sentence and been ordered to pay $12 million by the Iraqi court. The dispute was over a $33 million contract awarded to CME in 2015. The project was put on hold a year later, with plummeting oil prices and Iraq's war with the extremist group ISIS put forward as the main reasons. Work resumed in 2018, with CME working for 39 of the 48 months as set out in the contract. Payment was received for 32 of those months before being withheld. CME was asked by the central bank to extend the contract by three months to make up for work that was suspended due to the onset of the pandemic.
Shafaq News
08-04-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Australia demands release of jailed citizen in Iraq
Shafaq News/ Australia has renewed its call for the release of citizen Robert Pether, warning that a second conviction in Iraq could endanger his life and further devastate his family, The National reported on Tuesday. Pether, an Australian engineer formerly based in Dubai, has completed a four-year sentence stemming from a contractual dispute involving his employer and Iraqi authorities. He is now reportedly facing new money laundering charges that could extend his imprisonment by 15 years. His wife, Desree Pether, told The National that he is in severe physical and mental condition and may not survive another conviction. She also described the family's financial hardship, noting they had to sell their car to meet basic expenses and support their children's education. Australian citizen Robert Pether has now been in prison in Iraq for four has served the custodial sentence imposed on him by the Iraqi courts. It's time for him to be returned to his family. The Australian Government will continue to advocate for Mr Pether's release. — Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) April 7, 2025 On Monday, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Iraq to release Pether, emphasizing in a post on X that 'he has served the custodial sentence imposed on him by Iraqi courts. It's time for him to be returned to his family.' Pether and his Egyptian colleague, Khaled Radwan, were arrested in 2021 during a business trip linked to the construction of the Central Bank of Iraq's new headquarters. Both were sentenced and fined $12 million. The United Nations previously labeled their detention 'arbitrary and a violation of international law.' The original case stemmed from a $33 million contract awarded to CMA in 2015. In 2023, the International Chamber of Commerce's Arbitration Court held the Central Bank of Iraq liable for the contract's collapse.
