Shafaq News- Baghdad

Australian engineer Robert Pether has been allowed to leave Iraq after spending more than four years in prison and subsequently facing travel restrictions, Australian outlet The Canberra Times reported on Monday.

Pether was arrested following a dispute involving the Iraqi government and his employer, a consulting firm working on the headquarters of Iraq’s central bank. In 2021, an Iraqi court sentenced him to five years in prison and imposed a multimillion-dollar fine. He was granted conditional release on bail in 2025 but remained subject to travel restrictions until Monday, when he was permitted to leave Iraq.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed the decision, saying she had spoken with Pether shortly before his departure from Baghdad. She said his release from prison and subsequent travel restrictions had followed years of efforts by the Australian government, including at the highest levels.

A United Nations report on arbitrary detention documented allegations that Pether had been subjected to extreme cold, humiliation, death threats and psychological abuse, including being shown a room used for torture.

Iraqi authorities have not publicly commented on Pether's departure.