UAE – The National, April 07, 2025
Australian Foreign Minister calls for his release as wife fears for his future amid renewed charges.
The wife of a Dubai resident serving a prison sentence in Iraq over a contract dispute since 2021 said she does not know if she will ever see her husband again.
Robert Pether, from Australia, along with his Egyptian co-worker Khaled Radwan, who both resided in Dubai at the time, were jailed in August 2021 and fined $12 million after a contract dispute between his employer and authorities in Iraq.
Mr Pether’s wife spoke to The National on Monday, the fourth anniversary of his arrest. The decision to subsequently jail both Mr Pether and Mr Radwan has been described as “arbitrary and in contravention of international law” by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
The families of both men were expecting them to be released in January, having served their sentences, however it emerged that Mr Pether was facing a new charge of money laundering, which could lead to a further 15 years in prison.
“I honestly don’t know if we’ll ever see him again,” said Mr Pether’s wife Desree. “I don’t believe he’ll survive if he’s sentenced to another 15 years. Robert is at absolute rock bottom, he’s already told he won’t survive [if sentenced again].”
