Olson, who served as US ambassador to Pakistan from 2012 to 2015, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to making false statements and violating laws governing lobbying the interests of a foreign government, AFP reported. Olson was accused of helping the Qatari government influence American policymakers shortly after leaving the State Department in 2016.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Olson, while head of the US diplomatic mission in Pakistan, also received bonuses from a Pakistani-American businessman identified in court documents as “Individual 1.” These included $25,000 paid to Olson’s girlfriend to pay her tuition at Columbia University in New York and $18,000 for a first-class flight to attend a job interview in London. According to The Washington Post, “Person 1” is businessman Imaad Zuberi, sentenced in the United States in 2021 to 12 years in prison for illegal campaign contributions and other crimes.
