Devastation for Elphin family as father faces up to 15 years more in Iraqi jail

An Elphin family has been left devastated and heartbroken with the news broke that father of four Robert Pether will not be released as expected from an Iraqi prison but instead is facing another 15 years’ incarceration on new charges.

His wife Desree Pether, along with her sons and daughter were expecting to be reunited with Robert on January 8th but now fear he will no longer survive the extra prison time. They are also faced with selling their family home in Elphin, due to mounting legals costs estimated to be in the region of €130,000. Desree also fears she may have to sell her car as they face this latest legal battle.

Robert, who is originally from Australia but was living in Elphin, was jailed in Baghdad amid a €20m contract row between his Dubai-based employer and the Central Bank of Iraq. He and a colleague were arrested in Baghdad on April 7th, 2021, by 12 police officers who stormed a meeting the men were having with the governor of the Central Bank of Iraq.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said in November of that year that Robert and his colleague, Egyptian engineer Khalid Radwan, were arbitrarily detained and that their right to a fair trial and due process had been violated.

According to the UN, it is alleged the pair were detained as a way to “exercise leverage over their employer”, United Arab Emirates-based CME Consulting, which had been hired to construct new headquarters for the central bank before the project broke down and a dispute over payments arose.

Since then Robert has languished in jail with his family fighting to have him freed. The latest charges over alleged money laundering offences has come as a massive blow to him and his family and were totally unexpected.

Desree told the Roscommon Herald that he was due to end his sentence on January 8th and they had even made an appeal for his earlier release so he wouldn’t miss another Christmas with her and the children. It came as shock to learn he was arrested again and is being held pending new charges which she says are a spin-off from the ones in 2021. “We haven’t seen an arrest warrant. They didn’t tell us, no one knew what was going on,” she added.

She believes this is just another repeat of the violations which her husband has undergone and feels that the Australian government should be doing more for him despite their latest comments as to their “concerns” which were made in parliament earlier this month.

Robert was in the process of becoming an Irish citizen, sadly he was arrested before that was completed, but his wife and children are receiving support from the Irish government.

Another huge issue is the cost of his lawyers, which the family have to pay and she said they are now looking to sell their home and if any more problems arise will probably have to sell the car in a bid to meet these mounting costs.

The family originally moved to Elphin six years ago. They has previously lived in various countries but bought their home with the intention of providing herbal medicines and healing along with conducting women’s workshops. “That was the plan,” said Desree. But as fees mount up she said “I have tried to hold onto it (the house) for months, I cannot keep it, I cannot make it work,” saying if she sells the home she will probably move to the Dublin area to be closer to her two sons.

She also added that these latest charges are simply “ludicrous and outrageous” and feels that mentally and physically Robert will not be able to survive more jail time. Although they speak each day via Zoom, they cannot see each other, and Robert speaks in a whisper. “He is completely broken, I know he looks bad, he has barely exercised in four years, he is a melanoma survivor, he has issues with his kidneys and has pain in his back - he won’t survive.” She continued: “The kids are devastated. It kills me as mother to watch the pain and the struggle they deal with. They are very proud of their dad.” “He is a good man who wanted to do a good thing. Rob builds hospitals, space stations and museums. He wanted to do something that meant something. He wanted to leave his mark. He wanted to make a difference and leave a legacy. He had the assurance of the Central Bank of Iraq that he was safe and had as much security as at any embassy when working on the project.” She is adamant that more could be done to help her husband and that the Australian government need to step up their actions and find a solution.

Previously she had said: “Imagine being an innocent man sitting in a cell trying to prove your innocence,” adding “they are playing Russian Roulette with his health.” “He is the only Western in that prison (in Baghdad). For four years he has been trying to prove his innocence and it is soul destroying. I look back and see how naïve we were. The majority of people concerned just don’t care.” A gofundme page has been set up to help the family with the legal costs in the case and donations can be made by logging onto https://gofund.me/c636f07b The Department of Foreign of Affairs in response to a query from the Herald stated: “The Department is aware of developments in the case of Mr Pether. As Mr Pether is an Australian national, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the relevant consular authority. Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs have liaised with relevant Australian authorities in relation to the case and the concerns of the family. The Department is in regular contact with the Pether family and the case has been raised directly with Iraqi Ministers, in support of Australia’s efforts.”