Australian engineer Robert Pether has left Iraq after more than five years in detention, following a protracted campaign to secure his release.
Pether, 51, and his Egyptian colleague Khalid Zaghloul were arrested in April 2021 in Baghdad while working on a $1 billion project to build the new headquarters of the Central Bank of Iraq.
Australian officials on Monday escorted Pether to the airport, where he planned to fly to Ireland to reunite with his wife and children.
An Iraqi judge found Pether guilty of deception in August 2021, although his lawyers said he should not be held responsible for the actions of the engineering company, CME Consulting.
His wife Desree has demanded his release ever since, asserting it was a travesty of justice and that his imprisonment amounted to arbitrary detention.
Pether’s health deteriorated during his imprisonment as he lost a lot of weight and battled cancer.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was relieved that he had been freed.
“The Australian government welcomes the decision by the Iraqi government to allow Mr Pether to leave,” Wong said.
“I spoke with Robert Pether this morning. I expressed to him our relief that he had been released and my hope that he recovers, but most importantly, I wished him well for his reunion with the family and for his recovery in the future.”
Wong said the government had made 280 separate representations “at all levels” since his detention.
The Iraqi government had insisted that Pether or the company must pay a $US12 million fine.
“I’ve made it clear that the Australian government doesn’t make monetary contributions in relation to alleged offences, but what we do do is make sustained advocacy a part of how we engage on these issues, and that’s what we’ve done,” Wong said.
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