[A. Pole]

The lawyer said his client didn't disclose the 1997 conviction to U.S. officials because he did not know about it.

Ah, these secret convictions. Don't you love it? International justice is great!

[bobi]

I am not sure if you are familiar with the Biljana Plavsic case.

Here she was president of Republika Srpska after the war and at that time the "secret" conviction was not annouced for "SOME" (cooperating) reason then she gets charged after she was not in some meaningful office (past used by date).

Secret confictions are used to force cooperation with the international (di)stabalization forces.