Latest news with #RobertPether
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish Dad still waiting to come home two months after release from Iraq prison
It will be two months next week since 'innocent' Robert Pether was released from prison in Iraq – but he has still not been allowed to return home to Ireland. Tánaiste Simon Harris's Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to the Irish Mirror on Friday that the family in Ireland of engineer Robert are still waiting for his return, four years after he was locked up. People close to the situation told the Irish Mirror that there could be developments as soon as 'next week', with Tuesday (August 5) marking exactly two months since he was released. Mr Pether was arrested in Baghdad in April 2021 amid a €20 million contract row between his Dubai-based employer and Iraq's Central Bank. After a high-profile campaign that was reported throughout by the Irish Mirror, it was finally announced on June 5 that Rob, 49, was being released. Robert Pether pictured with his three children But wife Desree, 53 and kids Flynn, 21, Oscar, 20 and Nala, 12, are still waiting for him at their family home in Elphin, Co Roscommon. When Rob - who previously survived melanoma cancer and now has prostate cancer - was released almost two months ago, Desree said jail had left her husband looking 'unrecognisable'. Desree, who cannot speak to the media amid the ongoing situation in Iraq, has written online about husband not being allowed to return to Ireland. She said: 'It has been weeks since he was released from prison, extremely unwell mentally and physically, barely able to walk or eat. 'He should have been on the first available plane home and straight into hospital. Absolutely horrendous treatment of an innocent man.' The family of Robert Pether said his health was deteriorating rapidly behind bars before his release Desree appealed for help from supporters and wrote: 'We need help urgently. As this farce drags on, we have to now also pay for accommodation and food for Robert. 'We don't know how we will do that for even another month and there is our own expenses with no income. 'We've been living very frugally. We have nothing left in savings. Not a cent. We've lost our car and our health insurance. 'We are isolated in the country in Ireland. This has had a massive impact on our family. If you can help in any way or share we would be grateful.' A GoFundMe account in the name of Robert Pether has been set up and has so far raised over €17,000 of a €30,000 target. Desree, who has never spoken publicly about the behind-the-scenes efforts to have her husband freed, insisted online in recent days that Rob is 'innocent'. She wrote: 'There was absolutely no grounds for his arrest on 7th April 2021. He is a hostage. Three international court rulings found him innocent. 'A UN report published March 2022 finding he is in arbitrary detention, unlawfully detained and held for leverage.' She added recently: 'The entire case would be immediately thrown out in any regular court that follows due process, right back when he was first trapped and arrested. Every accusation fabricated and unsubstantiated.' In recent months, the family has experienced tumultuous upheaval amid the ongoing struggle to get Rob home to Roscommon. Youngest child Nala finished her childhood education with Rob still detained in Iraq. Desree said: 'And just like that, she's finished primary school. Off to high school in September. Absolutely in awe of her strength these past four-and-a-half years.' Rob, who is from Australia but his home is in Roscommon, was arrested and jailed on fraud charges, which he denied and which the UN claimed were false. The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of Mr Pether's situation and has been providing assistance to his family in Roscommon throughout his detention in Iraq. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Desperate plea for Penny Wong to save Aussie dad after four years trapped in a Middle Eastern hellhole - but all he's getting is radio silence: 'Humiliation, torture room'
A Sydney father and mechanical engineer who was detained in an Iraqi prison for almost four years is still in limbo as conflict in the Middle East escalates. Robert Pether had been living in a heavily-guarded facility on the outskirts of Baghdad since he was arrested while helping the war-ravaged country rebuild on April 7, 2021. It was confirmed in early June that he would be released on bail, with the breakthrough lauded by Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the time. 'His case has been raised with Iraqi authorities over 200 times, including at the highest level by the Prime Minister and myself,' Senator Wong said. 'I want to thank Australian officials for their tireless work on Mr Pether's case.' But, three weeks later, concerns have grown regarding the engineer's welfare after the Albanese government was accused of leaving him stranded. Senator David Shoebridge told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that the engineer's security was even more at risk amid the violent escalations in the Middle East. 'I'm advised that, since DFAT accompanied Robert from his prison release on June 5, there's been effectively no communication,' he said. The Greens politician, who has long been an advocate for Mr Pether, said this was 'extremely troubling', particular with the heightened tensions in the region. 'Robert was already in a perilous situation, having been held to ransom by the Iraqi authorities. Of course, his security is even more at risk with the ongoing violent escalations in the region,' he said. Shoebridge said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) had previously kept close communication with Mr Pether prior to his release. 'The dramatic change in behavior is hard to understand,' he said. 'In the three weeks since Robert's release, he's been in an incredibly vulnerable situation with no financial support, no safe accommodation and no identity documents. 'At a minimum, you would expect Australia's embassy in Iraq to be urgently addressing these basic needs so that Robert is safe and he has his documentation in place.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted DFAT regarding the status of Australia's embassies in the Middle East and its alleged lack of support for Mr Pether. Shoebridge said Mr Pether should not be left vulnerable. Since he was released on bail, an Australian senator has sounded the alarm that Mr Pether (pictured) has not received support from the federal government 'It's moments of crisis where you need support from Australia's network of embassies, which has only been highlighted in Robert's case,' he said. 'That, however, is not a sufficient reason to leave somebody with such clear vulnerability as Robert without the support they need. 'Robert's facing an ongoing travel ban from the Iraqi authorities who continue to hold him as a form of commercial blackmail.' Pether had travelled to Baghdad in 2021 to discuss a multimillion-dollar blowout in the cost of building a new headquarters for the government-owned Central Bank of Iraq. He was charged with deception and was sentenced to five years behind bars and a $16million fine. Pether has always maintained his innocence. Mr Pether shared his fears he would die in prison in a letter first published by this publication amid a life-threatening battle with melanoma and a lung condition. 'Robert is suffering the health consequences of prolonged, brutal confinement,' Shoebridge said. 'There are very real concerns that this health condition, that his lung condition, may be malignant, and that only adds to the stress.' Shoebridge said he had contacted the foreign minister on Tuesday, calling for the department to 'actively intervene' and provide Mr Pether with basic essentials. In his February letter, Mr Pether said he was worried he would never see his wife, Desree, or children, Flynn, 20, Oscar, 18, and Nala, 11, again. The engineer claimed he was unlawfully held captive as part of a sinister plot to extort millions of dollars from his boss's construction company. A United Nations report on arbitrary detention from 2022 concluded the detention of Mr Pether was 'being used to exercise leverage in a commercial transaction, in violation of international law'.
Iraqi News
09-06-2025
- Business
- Iraqi News
Iraq frees Egyptian and Australian engineers over central bank contract issue
Baghdad – Iraq has released an Australian mechanical engineer and his Egyptian colleague who were detained for more than four years over a dispute with the central bank, authorities said Friday, though the two remain barred from leaving the country. Robert Pether and Khalid Radwan were working for an engineering company contracted to oversee the construction of the bank's new Baghdad headquarters, according to a United Nations report, when they were arrested in April 2021. A report from a working group for the UN Human Rights Council said the arrests stemmed from a contractual dispute over 'alleged failure to execute certain payments'. Both men were sentenced to five years in prison and fined $12 million, the working group said. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Pether, in his fifties, was released 'due to his poor health'. Australian media have previously reported that the family suspected Pether had developed lung cancer in prison and that he had undergone surgery for skin cancer. A second Iraqi official confirmed the release of Radwan, adding that he was not allowed to leave the country until a 'final decision' was made regarding his case. Australia's ABC broadcaster quoted the country's foreign minister, Penny Wong, as welcoming the release and saying the Australian government had raised the issue with Iraqi authorities more than 200 times. Simon Harris, foreign minister for Ireland, where Pether's family lives, posted on X: 'This evening, I have been informed of the release on bail of Robert Pether, whose imprisonment in Iraq has been a case of great concern. 'This is very welcome news in what has been a long and distressing saga for Robert's wife, three children and his wider family and friends.' Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE, Pether's wife, Desree Pether, said her husband was 'not well at all' and 'really needs to just come home so he can get the proper medical care he needs'. 'He's completely unrecognisable. It's a shock to the system to see how far he has declined,' she said.
Sky News AU
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Australian released from Iraqi prison after more than four years behind bars
The federal government is welcoming the release of an Australian engineer from a jail in Iraq. Robert Pether has been granted bail, emerging from a prison in Iraq after spending more than four years behind bars. Mr Pether was arrested in April 2021 alongside his Egyptian colleague, charged with deception, however, he has always maintained his innocence.
Arab News
06-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Iraq frees Australian, Egyptian engineers after four years, but keeps travel ban
BAGHDAD: Iraq has released an Australian mechanical engineer and his Egyptian colleague who were detained for more than four years over a dispute with the central bank, authorities said Friday, though the two remain barred from leaving the country. Robert Pether and Khalid Radwan were working for an engineering company contracted to oversee the construction of the bank's new Baghdad headquarters, according to a United Nations report, when they were arrested in April 2021. A report from a working group for the UN Human Rights Council said the arrests stemmed from a contractual dispute over 'alleged failure to execute certain payments.' Both men were sentenced to five years in prison and fined $12 million, the working group said. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Pether, in his fifties, was released 'due to his poor health.' Australian media have previously reported that the family suspected Pether had developed lung cancer in prison and that he had undergone surgery for skin cancer. A second Iraqi official confirmed the release of Radwan, adding that he was not allowed to leave the country until a 'final decision' was made regarding his case. Australia's ABC broadcaster quoted the country's foreign minister, Penny Wong, as welcoming the release and saying the Australian government had raised the issue with Iraqi authorities more than 200 times. Simon Harris, foreign minister for Ireland, where Pether's family lives, posted on X: 'This evening, I have been informed of the release on bail of Robert Pether, whose imprisonment in Iraq has been a case of great concern. 'This is very welcome news in what has been a long and distressing saga for Robert's wife, three children and his wider family and friends.' Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE, Pether's wife, Desree Pether, said her husband was 'not well at all' and 'really needs to just come home so he can get the proper medical care he needs.' 'He's completely unrecognizable. It's a shock to the system to see how far he has declined,' she said.
