Australian engineer Robert Pether is allowed to leave Iraq after being detained for about four-and-a-half years, his family and Australian officials say. His family had feared he would die in jail, and the news marks his return after an arrest in April 2021.

Outlets report that Pether was held in Baghdad following an arrest that his friends and family describe as stemming from a business dispute rather than a legitimate case. ABC Australia and other outlets say he served more than four years behind bars over fraud charges they describe as “trumped-up.” The Guardian reports the case is linked to his company’s work building a new headquarters for Iraq’s central bank.

Multiple outlets also say Iraq had insisted that Pether or his company pay a US$12 million fine as a condition for release. The Guardian adds that Australia’s foreign minister welcomes the Iraqi government’s decision, framing it as a diplomatic outcome.