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A court in Washington ruled on Friday to place the former US ambassador to Pakistan and the UAE, Richard Olson, under judicial supervision for three years after convicting him of violating federal ethics laws.

The court also imposed a fine of $93,400 on Olson, 63, after he pleaded guilty to exploiting his position for personal gain.

Olson, who previously served as US ambassador to Pakistan from 2012 to 2015, pleaded guilty in June last year to making false statements and violating laws prohibiting lobbying for a foreign government.

Olson was accused of helping the Qatari government influence decision-makers in the United States shortly after his retirement from the State Department in 2016.

A statement from the US Attorney's Office in Washington said: "US law prohibits high-ranking officials, such as the defendant, from representing a foreign government in any federal agency or assisting or advising a foreign entity with the intent to influence the United States government for one year after they leave." their positions.”

“The defendant took numerous steps to conceal these illegal activities, including deleting incriminating emails and lying to the FBI during a recorded interview,” the statement continued.

According to the Attorney General's Office, while serving as US Ambassador to Pakistan, Olson received services and benefits from a Pakistani-American businessman referred to in court documents as “Person 1.”

Among these services and benefits was a sum of $25,000 that was paid to Olson's then-girlfriend to help her cover the costs of her studies at Columbia University in New York, and $18,000 for first-class travel expenses to conduct a job interview in London.

The Attorney General's Office statement noted, "One of the major services the defendant agreed to provide was to mobilize support among members of Congress for Person 1 in connection with arms sales deals to Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries that Person 1 was trying to broker."

According to the Washington Post, “Person 1” is Imad Al-Zubairi, who was sentenced in 2021 to 12 years in prison after he was convicted of making illegal contributions to election campaigns and other violations.

AFP