Former US envoy to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, Richard Olson, has pled guilty to undisclosed lobbying for Qatar while he was still in service and soon after his retirement.
He is also accused of accepting an extravagant trip to Qatar while he was still serving as the US envoy to Pakistan.
“I wish to plead guilty to the offences charged, to waive trial in the Central District of California, and to dispose of the case in the District of Columbia in which I am present,” he wrote in a consent letter submitted by his lawyer.
Olson has also served as US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was charged by a US federal court for violating curbs on lobbying for a foreign country while in service and within a year after his retirement.
Olson is accused of carrying out foreign work while he was still in office and using his political influence to advance Qatari interests in Washington.
The US Justice Department has also charged him for making false statements in ethics paperwork and violating laws curbing foreign lobbying carried out by ex-federal officials.
