Dubai ruler pardons U.S. producer

Dubai’s ruler pardoned American R&B; producer Dallas Austin on Tuesday, hours after he was sentenced to four years in prison for possession of cocaine, two of the producer’s lawyers said.

Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed ibn Rashid al Maktum issued the pardon, but Austin was not immediately released from jail, said the lawyers.

One lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Austin’s release was “a matter of paperwork.” The lawyer said he needed to be cautious about the pardon until the Grammy-winning producer was safe on a plane back to his home in Atlanta.

A court sentenced Austin, who has created tunes for Madonna and Janet Jackson, to four years in prison earlier Tuesday for possessing 1.26 grams of cocaine, his defense team said. The court said he should be deported after serving his prison term.

Austin, 34, whose life story was loosely depicted in the 2002 movie “Drumline,” told the court on Sunday that he didn’t mean to break the law in the United Arab Emirates.

He looked pale and worried Tuesday as the judge read his sentence in Arabic, in stark contrast to his breezy manner Sunday when he winked at his defense team. He had been held without bail at Dubai’s Rashidiya Police Station since his arrest on May 19.