Story perspectives

Iraq allows Pether to leave after UN torture claims

By Drooid · Oct 13, 2026, 6:12 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Robert Pether Released

Robert Pether, an Australian engineer, was allowed to leave Iraq after over four years in Baghdad jail.
He and Egyptian colleague Khalid Zaghloul were arrested on 7 April 2021 for alleged fraud at the Central Bank.
An Iraqi court sentenced him to five years imprisonment and a $16 million fine.
A UN working group called his detention arbitrary and reported torture, extreme cold and psychological abuse.

Summary

ICC Orders Payment

The ICC Court of Arbitration ordered Iraq’s Central Bank to pay $13 million to CME Consulting.
Pether and colleague Khalid Radwan were jointly fined $12 million (A$18.4 million, £8.8 million).
Pether was released in 2025 but barred from leaving Iraq until October 2026.
The dispute stemmed from the $1 billion Central Bank headquarters project launched in 2015.
Wong said Australia lodged 280 representations to free Pether after a 2022 UN report found violations and abusive interrogations.

Summary

Pether Decries Abandonment

He wrote a 2024 prison letter saying he felt abandoned by the Australian government.
Australian officials raised his case with Iraqi authorities more than 200 times during his detention.
Greens leader David Shoebridge said the government missed chances to secure his release sooner.
Ban kept him in limbo after his 2025 release, preventing departure from Iraq.

History

Historical Context

After Egypt’s 2013 ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood, authorities labeled the group terrorist and, on 29 December 2013, arrested Al Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, accusing them of falsifying news. International pressure from the United Nations and Australia led to Greste’s deportation in February 2015, though an Egyptian court later sentenced him in absentia to three additional years.

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Robert Pether Released

Robert Pether, an Australian engineer, was allowed to leave Iraq after over four years in Baghdad jail.
He and Egyptian colleague Khalid Zaghloul were arrested on 7 April 2021 for alleged fraud at the Central Bank.
An Iraqi court sentenced him to five years imprisonment and a $16 million fine.
A UN working group called his detention arbitrary and reported torture, extreme cold and psychological abuse.

1 / 4