( CNN ) -- Former British army officer William Shaw , who was serving a two-year sentence in Kabul 's infamous Pul-e-Charki jail for bribery , has been acquitted , his daughter told CNN on Sunday . Daughter Lisa Luckyn-Malone could not provide additional information . Afghan officials could not immediately be reached for comment . Shaw , who served 28 years in the British forces , was sentenced for bribery in April -- accused of paying $ 25,000 to an Afghan intelligence official . Bribery under Afghan law requires the person who received the money to be a government employee . That was not the case for Shaw , according to his lawyer , Kimberly Motely . Shaw 's employer , security company G4S , authorized him to pay the $ 25,000 in good faith as a fee to the Afghan intelligence service to have two vehicles released from their custody . That was in October 2009 , and the vehicles were released . At the request of G4S , Shaw returned to the intelligence service on several occasions to ask for receipts for the cash , according to his family . Five months later , he was called in to the intelligence service for questioning and arrested . The former military serviceman who once received a top award from the Queen was sent to the Afghan super-max jail and locked up in solitary confinement . The Afghan intelligence service had sent two letters to the judges dealing with Shaw 's case informing them the man who took the $ 25,000 from Shaw was not a government employee , according to Motely . The British Embassy in Afghanistan said it was pleased for Shaw and his family . `` We welcome the appeal court 's decision which is now subject to finalization in the Supreme Court , '' an embassy spokeswoman said . `` The UK continues to strongly support the work of the Afghan government to counter corruption and reinforce the rule of law in Afghanistan . ''
Shaw spent two years in British forces . He was accused of paying $ 25,000 to an Afghan intelligence official . He had been held in the super - max Pul - e - Charki prison in Kabul .