{
  "id": 14931470,
  "title": "'I was innocent': Former Dubai resident gives first interview after five-year detention in Iraq",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/i-was-innocent-former-dubai-resident-gives-first-interview-after-five",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-16T10:15:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/10/16/robert-pether-detained-in-iraq-former-dubai-resident/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Dubai resident Robert Pether, 50, has given his first interview since being released from a five-year detention in Iraq. Pether was arrested in April 2021 over a contract dispute between his employer CME Consulting and the Central Bank of Iraq. He was fined $12 million and released from prison in Baghdad in June last year, but remains barred from leaving the country due to financial claims. Pether is adjusting to freedom, spending time with his family in Ireland, and preparing for surgery to treat high-risk skin cancer. He remains determined to fight for vindication, stating that no innocent person should suffer such injustice. Pether plans to consult lawyers over the coming months to address the \"huge injustice\" he experienced. He emphasized the need for accountability, stating that he did nothing wrong and that the situation was not reasonable or just. Pether also offered support to others who have been wrongly incarcerated, urging them not to give up and to keep fighting for justice.",
  "summary": "A former Dubai resident detained for five years in Iraq over a contract dispute will take time to adjust to freedom and is determined to fight for vindication after the “dark times” he endured. Australian engineer Robert Pether was released from prison in Baghdad in June last year but was barred from leaving the country due to financial claims linked to a case over a contract dispute between his…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "'You have to keep fighting': Former Dubai resident gives first interview after five-year detention in Iraq",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/you-have-to-keep-fighting-former-dubai-resident-gives-first-interview",
        "published": "2026-10-15T13:07:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}