Brian Glendinning from Kincardine arrived in Iraq in September to start work on a construction engineering contract in Basra, when he was arrested by authorities on the basis of a Red Notice from Qatar and faced extradition to the Middle East nation.

The 43-year-old had worked in Doha in 2016 and took out a £20,000 low-interest loan with Qatar National Bank (QNB) to help him settle in the country. While on holiday in 2017, Mr Glendinning fell ill, and claimed sick leave from his job, only to be immediately fired.

Mr Glendinning was held in police lock-up for around 8 weeks and faced the possibility of extradition before his release. He’s currently waiting in a secure Baghdad hotel for his exit visa before booking a flight to Scotland.

Due Process International founder Radha Stirling, who represents the Glendinnings, said: “I am thrilled to announce that British construction engineer Brian Glendinning has been released from Baghdad jail. Brian’s lawyer Tahseen Alchaabawi gave us the good news this morning. It was an emotional moment for his family and I couldn’t be happier for the Glendinnings.

“Brian has been collected by embassy staff and taken to a secure hotel where he will stay tonight. His family are arranging flights and hope he could be home as soon as Tuesday night or Wednesday.

“Qatar has not confirmed that they have removed the Interpol Red Notice so there is an element of risk that Brian could be re-arrested en route to Scotland. This would be disastrous for Qatar and for Interpol.

“I will be taking a full statement from Brian when he returns to Scotland for use in a class action against Interpol for its consistent and repetitive abuse of power.

“Iraq was furnished with evidence from Qatar National Bank last week to prove the extradition was over bank debt. Consumer debt does not meet the criteria for extradition, but it was highly likely Iraq would have succumbed to pressure from Qatar and handed him over anyway.

“Brian is free due to a combination of lobbying and media efforts, negotiating and settling the debt with QNB and strong diplomatic representations. We are proud to have successfully resolved another case of Interpol abuse. On a personal note, I will now always remember my birthday as the day Brian was freed. This was the best present I could have hoped for.”

Brian’s brother John Glendinning told Radha Stirling: “Brian’s beard has grown. There was only a singly communal shaver in the jail and he wasn’t going to use that. He’s in the hotel. I’ve seen a photo of him with a beer and I’m so happy he’s free. It was really emotional for the family. Even our father teared up and he never cries. Kimberly, the children, they can breathe again. Now it’s just hours until they are together.”

Radha Stirling added: “We are all extremely grateful to all of those who rallied together to support Brian. Hundreds of people donated to his GoFundMe to help with legal bills and attended a demonstration outside Parliament. Douglas Chapman, MP has made every effort to pressure the UK government to use diplomatic channels to free Brian and we thank him and members of the British government and embassy for their assistance.”