'Everyone is starting to crumble': Wife's appeal over engineer detained in Baghdad 

Robert Pether was arrested and detained on April 7 in what his wife, Desree, believes is some form of contractual dispute, involving his employer, over the building of a new Central Bank building in Iraq.

The wife of an Irish-based engineer, who has been detained without charge in Baghdad for almost a month, has called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney to write to the Iraqi government.

Robert Pether was arrested and detained on April 7 in what his wife, Desree, believes is some form of contractual dispute, involving his employer, over the building of a new Central Bank building in Iraq.

The Australian national was arrested along with an Egyptian colleague after being called to a meeting in Baghdad last month to discuss the major construction project, which they have worked on for four years.

The two men have not been charged with any offences and remain in custody since their arrest.

Roscommon senator Eugene Murphy said Mr Pether appeared to be “caught in the middle” of a contractual dispute and urged Mr Coveney and his department to assist the family in securing his release.

The 46-year-old engineer, who hails from Sydney, has worked for more than a decade in the Middle East without incident. He moved to Elphin in Co Roscommon in recent years with his wife, Desree, and three children aged eight to 17, who are Irish nationals.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Desree said her husband’s detention without charge was taking its toll almost one month on: "It’s horrendous, everyone is starting to crumble. It’s been nearly a month.

It is very hard to keep going and fight on but we will.

The Australian embassy facilitated a phone call to the family this week, she said: “He is devastated and feels betrayed and, the more it goes on, the harder it is for him to understand why he was arrested."

Desree said the next week is “critical” as she fears that her husband could be detained for the foreseeable future if a bail hearing goes ahead and she appealed to Mr Coveney to write to the Iraqi government to make it clear that the situation was unacceptable.

“They are talking about the possibility of bail and that could push it into the civil court, even though there are no charges against them.

That could tie them up in the country for up to a year.

“We need pressure from all countries to say that this is not acceptable and we want a stern letter from the Minister for Foreign Affairs to the Iraqi government,” she added.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: “We are aware of this case involving an Australian national and are in contact with the family in Ireland.”