After five years caught in a legal ordeal in Iraq, construction engineer Robert Pether has landed in Ireland, stepping off a flight from Baghdad to reunite with his family.
His plane touched down at Dublin Airport shortly after 9.45am, where his wife Desree and their children were waiting to welcome him home.
Mr Pether, 51, was arrested in April 2021 along with his CME Consulting colleague, Egyptian Khalid Radwan, as a contract dispute escalated between the firm and the Central Bank of Iraq.
The bank had accused the men of stealing money from the project.
Both men spent almost six months in detention without charge before being brought before a court in a rapid trial. They were each sentenced to five years in prison and hit with fines amounting to millions of dollars.
International bodies repeatedly criticised the case. The UN said Mr Pether’s detention was illegal, while an international court found his employer was not responsible for the underlying business dispute.
A UN report in 2022 concluded the case breached international law, and in 2023 an international court determined Iraq’s central bank was at fault in the dispute.
Earlier today, the Australian government confirmed Mr Pether was on his way “to being reunited with his family in Ireland”.
The family live in Elphin, Co Roscommon.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the result came after “many years of persistent advocacy” by Australia alongside the Irish authorities.
“I spoke to Mr Pether shortly before his departure from Baghdad and am pleased he is now free to move forward with his life,” she said.
Mr Pether’s wife and children, who are Irish, have campaigned for his release for years, saying they feared he would die in Iraq.
He was granted conditional bail from an Iraqi prison last year because of worsening health, but he was not permitted to leave the country.
His family said he lived in fear of being detained again, forced into hiding in Baghdad and left completely isolated.
‘Plot twist and then another plot twist’
“Apparently he wants lasagna, so I guess I’m cooking (tonight).”
Desree Pether was at Dublin Airport this morning with her children as they await the arrival of their husband and father from Iraq.
She said he was overcome with emotion when they spoke before he boarded the flight out of Baghdad.
“He’s very emotional. He thought he was going to be more cool, calm and collected but actually he is a lot more emotional than he thought he was going to be. It’s going to be a hard journey for him.”
Ms Pether described the past five-and-a-half years as “abominable”, adding that she and her four children still felt numb because his return had been uncertain, repeatedly delayed and revived over the past month.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, she said Mr Pether will go to hospital after he arrives because he needs urgent medical attention, though she said she hopes his condition is “nothing too ominous”.
She said what her husband endured was “beyond horrific”.
Desree Pether, pictured in July, said the last few years have been’ abominable’
Ms Pether said she is very appreciative of the Irish Government’s input in her husband’s case, and also credited the Australian and Egyptian government.
“They [Irish Government] did it because it was the right thing to do as he is a father and husband to an Irish family,” she said.
She said Mr Pether’s colleague, Mr Radwan, departed Iraq before her husband, and that seeing a photograph of him on the plane made the reality sink in that Robert would be leaving only hours later.
“It’s still quite surreal, it has been such a hectic and really harrowing few months.
“It has been on again, off-again. There has been one obstacle after another, a plot twist and then another plot twist.
“Until he actually got on a plane last night – we’ve always said until he’s on the plane, a million things could happen. ”
‘End to an extraordinarily difficult period’
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said Mr Pether’s return to Ireland “brings to an end an extraordinarily difficult period for Robert, his wife Desree and their children.”
In a statement, she added: “I would like to thank the Australian Government for all their support to Robert and in securing his release. I want to acknowledge the efforts of the Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hussein and the hard work and coordinated approach of the Irish Government who have been liaising on Robert’s release for some time. I would also like to thank Irish diplomatic officials for their work on this case.
“I know the HSE, the National Ambulance Service and Galway University Hospital are ready to give Robert the care he needs at this time and I am very grateful for this.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Mr Pether’s return will come as a “huge relief” for his family.
I warmly welcome the news that Robert Pether is on his way home. This will come as a great relief to Robert’s family here in Ireland. https://t.co/UXxO8MU0Eq
