WASHINGTON: Richard Olson, a former US Ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, pleaded guilty to undisclosed lobbying for Qatar while still in service and shortly after his retirement, a report quoted citing court records.
According to media reports, he is also accused of enjoying a luxurious trip to Qatar while still acting as the US envoy to Pakistan. In a permission letter provided by his counsel, he said, "I wish to plead guilty to the charges, forgo trial in the Central District of California, and dispose of the case in the District of Columbia in which I am present."
Olson, who has also served as the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was accused in federal court with violating a ban on lobbying for a foreign country while serving in the military and within a year after retiring, as per reports.
Olson is a three-time recipient of the State Department's Superior Honor Award and has received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Award. After retiring, he moved to Virginia and became a regular speaker on South Asian issues at Washington think tanks, where he praised Pakistan's efforts to combat terrorism.
Former US President Barack Obama dispatched Olson to Pakistan in 2012 after the then-Ambassador, Cameron Munter, resigned following the 2011 Abbottabad raid that resulted in the assassination of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
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