A man who has lived in Dubai but was detained in Iraq since 2021 due to a contractual issue which could have seen him released this week instead, he has been charged with other crimes making his family’s ordeal worse.
Robert Pether, an Australian national, and his Egyptian co-employee, Khaled Radwan, were detained in April this year while in Iraq to address a dispute between their company, CME Consulting, and the Central Bank of Iraq. In August of the same year, the two were convicted for five years of imprisonment and a penalty of $12 million the decision that raised many eyebrows over unfair treatment of expatriate contractors.
Now, Mr. Pether living in Dubai with his family before his arrest, is accused of money laundering – an offense punishable by more than 10 years in jail according to the Iraqi legislation. An official from Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council shed new details on Wednesday of more charges, which enhanced the tensions.
The last few weeks have been disastrous to the family of Mr. Pether. His wife Desree Pether said to The National that the family was waiting for his release on January 8 but only to realize he would not be released. Instead, his legal counsel was summoned to a Baghdad court and informed of the fresh charges.
“This is just another way to keep him in custody,” Ms. Pether said, adding that she believes the authorities in Iraq have no intention of releasing her husband until the dispute between CME Consulting and the Central Bank of Iraq is resolved. “It feels like he’s being used as a pawn in a game where the rules are constantly changing.”
The origins of the conflict date back to a construction project involving the Central Bank of Iraq’s new headquarters in Baghdad, for which CME Consulting had been contracted. Mr. Pether and Mr. Radwan were arrested while on a work trip in Iraq after Iraqi officials accused CME Consulting of violating the conditions of their contract. Human rights organizations and independent observers, however, have expressed doubts over the impartiality of the court processes, characterizing the two men’s treatment as excessive and driven by politics.
The additional charges of money laundering have further complicated the case, and legal experts say they could significantly delay any resolution. “Money laundering charges in Iraq are taken very seriously and can result in sentences of over a decade, depending on the evidence presented,” said a legal adviser familiar with Iraqi law. “It’s a grim development for Mr. Pether and his family.”
For Ms. Pether, the emotional toll has been immense. She described her husband’s detention as “inhumane” and said he has been held in poor conditions for nearly three years. “Robert is a father, a husband, and a professional who went to Iraq to work in good faith. “We are yet to understand how this nightmare has taken so long to resolve itself.”
Human rights organizations have also demanded the release of Mr. Pether, and have pressed the Australian government and the United Nations to act. However, with the fresh charges now in play the chances of getting freedom for the individuals that are involved look murky than ever.
This case demonstrates issues of expatriate employees who are serviced in high risk countries where corporate and legal disputes and grievances can easily be politicized and personalized. To this day, Mr. Pether and his family keep struggling for justice but the further is still very far from being easily won.
