FEARS FOR DUBAI RESIDENTS WHO HAVE SPENT 1,000 DAYS IN IRAQ JAIL
▶ Wives of Robert Pether and Khaled Radwan fear they may never see their husbands again
The families of two Dubai residents who have spent more than 1,000 days in an Iraqi jail fear they may never see them again.
Australian Robert Pether and Egyptian co-worker Khaled Radwan, who both lived in Dubai, were jailed in August 2021 and fined $12 million over a contract dispute between their employer CME Consulting and the Central Bank of Iraq.
There appears to be no end in sight to their ordeal, despite a significant ruling last year by the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Court of Arbitration that Iraq’s central bank was to blame for the dispute.
Mr Radwan’s wife, Amany Ahmed, said her family has been waiting for months for news of a possible retrial. “The last update we had was about a retrial, as the civil court sent a request to the criminal court,” Ms Ahmed told The National.
“I’ve been [contacting] my husband through phone calls to check about his situation, but what we are going through is unbelievable.
“I just want my husband back to his home and family.”
Robert Pether’s wife Desree Pether also continues to face struggles getting answers about his plight.
“At this stage, we can’t see a way that we will ever see Robert again,” she told The National.
She claimed the men had faced a “fabricated prosecution” that was “vile and ugly”.
Her husband was being treated as a hostage, Ms Pether said. She had previously raised concerns about her husband’s health and believes the situation is only getting worse.
“He’s lost about 40 kilos and we don’t know what we’re going to get back,” she said.
“It’s absolutely shocking for us to see the state of him. We couldn’t show the picture to our youngest daughter.
“We’ve tried to stay calm but it’s just heartbreaking when you see someone you love looking like that.
“His immune system is compromised and he’s in a crowded cell, so if anyone comes in with a virus he is going to be in big trouble.”
The only course of action left open to Ms Pether is to continue to raise awareness of her husband’s case, she said.
“We’ve tried waiting for them to do the right thing and campaigned for common sense and decency, but there is none,” Ms Pether said.
An official with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs said it “continues to provide extensive consular assistance to Robert Pether and his family” and has “consistently advocated for Mr Pether’s rights and welfare at all levels”.
After the ICC ruling last year, CME said saying the costs incurred by the central bank could have been avoided.
“Mr Pether and Mr Radwan had only ever exemplified utter professionalism and respect for the central bank, Iraq and its people,” a company representative said.
Mr Pether and Mr Radwan were initially arrested in 2021 when they travelled to Iraq for what they thought was a business meeting.
Mr Pether worked as an engineer in Dubai for CME, which was contracted to work on the Central Bank of Iraq headquarters on the banks of the Tigris River.