Story highlights Sabrina De Sousa was among nearly two dozen Americans convicted in absentia

Portuguese authorities arrested the former CIA officer in February

(CNN) Former CIA officer Sabrina De Sousa, who was convicted in 2009 for playing a part in seizing a radical Egyptian cleric on the streets of Milan, has received a last-minute, partial pardon from Italy.

De Sousa was poised to become the first US official to face jail time for the practice known as extraordinary rendition, which occurred during President George W. Bush's war on terror.

She was one of nearly two dozen Americans -- most thought to work for the CIA -- who were sentenced to five years in prison in 2009 by an Italian court for their role in seizing the suspected terrorist in Italy in 2003. They were convicted in absentia.

Portuguese authorities arrested De Sousa in February, and she was expected to arrive Wednesday in Italy to serve her sentence.

The pardon reduces her sentence to three years, a punishment that could be served by "alternative measures to imprisonment" -- meaning community service, according to a statement Tuesday by the Italian President's office.

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