Brazilian diplomat Eduardo Saboia, who helped a Bolivian senator sneak out of Brazil's embassy and flee his country, could be back at work next month, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Saboia, the embassy's charge d'affaires, had been suspended and transferred back to Brazil following the incident, while officials launched an investigation. He will return to work on Oct. 1, the ministry said.

Roger Pinto Molina, a Bolivian opposition senator who avoided a year's prison sentence on corruption charges by seeking asylum at the Brazilian embassy, was smuggled out of his country by car in late August.

Saboia said he acted alone, without authorization from his superiors, because he was concerned about the senator's health after 15 months of confinement at the embassy. Bolivia has refused to grant Molina safe passage to leave the country.

Molina's nighttime flit from the embassy caused tensions between Brazil and Bolivia, and embarrassed the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, as then Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota reportedly knew nothing of the escape until Molina was safely in Brazilian territory.

Patriota was forced to step down and switch posts with Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, Brazil's former ambassador to the United Nations.

Molina claims to be politically persecuted, but the Bolivian government considers him a common criminal convicted of stealing public funds.