Overview
- Pether left Baghdad on Monday after five years in detention and was escorted to the airport by Australian officials as he flew to Ireland to reunite with his wife and children.
- He was arrested in April 2021 while working on the Central Bank of Iraq headquarters project and an Iraqi judge found him guilty of deception in August 2021.
- Pether was released from prison in June 2025 but remained under travel restrictions that kept him in Iraq until the government granted permission to leave this week.
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia made 280 representations on his case and that the government does not pay fines for alleged offences while the Iraqi authorities had sought a US$12 million payment.
- His family and lawyers say his health deteriorated during detention and they maintain he should not be held personally liable for his employer’s actions, a dispute that may shape any next steps over accountability and payments.