UAE – The National, Apr. 07, 2026
Robert Pether remains in Iraq despite serving sentence after arrest five years ago
The wife of a Dubai resident detained in Iraq since his arrest over a contract dispute five years ago today said her husband was likely to die unless he was allowed to leave the country.
Robert Pether, 50, was released from prison in Baghdad in June 2025. However, he has remained in Iraq and cannot leave while the possibility of further legal action against him remains.
Mr Pether, from Australia, and his Egyptian co-worker Khaled Radwan, who both lived in Dubai at the time, were convicted and jailed in August 2021 and fined $12 million after a contract dispute between his employer and authorities in Iraq.
They were released from prison last year. In 2025, the office of the US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs pushed for his release. This followed a call from Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong for Mr Pether to be allowed to return home to his family.
“If nothing changes he will die. He still has serious untreated health issues and he is extremely unwell mentally and physically,” said Desree Pether, who feared for her husband’s future if threats of further prosecution on new charges were carried out. “It [a renewed prosecution] would achieve a life sentence and the end of Robert’s life.”
