WASHINGTON: The former US ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) escaped prison on Friday after a US court put him on probation and fined an undisclosed amount, but did not sentence him to imprisonment, official sources said.

Richard G. Olson, 63, appeared in the US District Court in Washington on Friday after pleading guilty last year to two misdemeanours. Earlier media reports suggested that he faced a guidelines-sanctioned sentence of zero to six months imprisonment, with the possibility of a non-custodial sentence.

Apparently, his services for the United States and the plea bargain prevented imprisonment. Mr Olson, who retired from the State Department in 2016, had an illustrious 34-year career. Last year, Olson admitted to lobbying for Qatar within a year of retirement and failing to disclose travel benefits received from third-party.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2023