DUBAI (Reuters) - The lawyer for US citizen Assem Ghafoor, a civil rights lawyer who was convicted in the UAE on money laundering charges last week, said that the UAE authorities have released Ghafoor and he is now on his way to the United States. Lawyer Faisal Gill added that Ghafoor was released after paying a fine, and said that the US embassy in the UAE helped facilitate his release. A court on Wednesday upheld Ghafoor's earlier conviction in absentia and ordered him to pay a fine, but overturned a three-year prison sentence handed down in May. There was no immediate comment from Emirati officials. Ghafoor, who lives in Virginia, was arrested during a layover at Dubai airport on July 14 over what the UAE said was a conviction in absentia in May on charges of money laundering and tax evasion following a request for assistance from US authorities in 2020. On Wednesday, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said the court had also confiscated money illegally transported across the country. She added that Ghafoor will also be deported from the country. US officials would not confirm the request for help, but said the arrest was not made at Washington's request. According to media reports in the United States, Ghafoor was previously under surveillance in the United States for his work representing American Muslims in civil rights cases. The trial in absentia and his detention last month during US President Joe Biden's visit to the region sparked criticism from rights groups and some members of Congress. Ghafoor's supporters say he was denied due process and was unaware of the charges against him prior to his arrest. Some also suggested that the arrest may have been politically motivated given Ghafoor's links to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by Saudi agents in Turkey in 2018, and for his work with rights groups critical of the UAE. And American intelligence says that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the operation in which Khashoggi was killed, while the prince denied his involvement. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are close allies. Emirati officials have repeatedly said that the case against Ghafoor relates only to financial crimes