Robert Pether's family to hear of restrictions put on engineer next week

Robert Pether with his wife Desree. Desree has said her husband has missed many family milestones including their children’s birthdays, their oldest son’s graduation, and his own 50th birthday in April. 

The family of Irish-based engineer Robert Pether has to wait until next Wednesday before being able to find out exactly what restrictions have been placed on him following his release from an Iraqi jail.

The 50-year-old was released on bail on Thursday and is currently in accommodation in Iraq, organised by the Irish, Australian, and Egyptian embassies for himself and his Egyptian work colleague, Khalid Radwan.

The men have been in prison in Iraq since April 7, 2021, after being arrested on fraud charges following a contractual dispute involving his employer over a new building for the Central Bank of Iraq.

The Australian and his wife Desree had been living with their children in Elphin, Roscommon, prior to his arrest. They moved to Ireland in 2019.

He and his colleague were arrested after being called to a meeting in Baghdad to discuss the project they had been working on.

Desree told the Irish Examiner that legal fees have cost the family more than €100,000 since Robert’s imprisonment, and she had to sell the family car “so that we could eat”.

She said her husband has missed many family milestones including their children’s birthdays, their oldest son’s graduation, and his own 50th birthday in April. 

Their 12-year-old daughter asked Santa every year to bring her father home

She said the couple were 20 years married last October — a milestone they had planned to mark with a vow renewal ceremony.

Desree says they are waiting to get information on what restrictions apply to his release. However, they cannot get this information until the Eid Al-Adha festival ends on Wednesday. 

Gut issue

She said he needs to be brought back to Ireland as a matter of urgency because he is very ill with a gut issue. He has had no medical assessment since his release.

While he was on a high after his release, he found it difficult to sleep on Thursday night, finding his new accommodation as “too quiet” after his prison experience.

Desree said the Irish Government has gone “above and beyond” in Robert’s case, especially as he is not an Irish citizen.

On Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the fact that he is an Australian citizen is a complicating factor.  However, he said: “Both ourselves and the Australian government have been working together in terms of endeavouring to get him out.” 

He said the Irish Government has been making “continuing efforts for quite a long number of years now” in Robert’s case.

Mr Martin said the current Iraqi foreign minister has been very helpful and he said he himself, as well as Tánaiste Simon Harris, have been in touch with him.

Mr Martin added: "It is very distressing for his family and his wife and kids, and I don’t want to say things that may in any way hinder his eventual arrival back to Ireland, but I believe this is a good first step.

"We have to work very hard with countries such as Iraq and others in terms of the treatment of Irish citizens.”