An Army veteran who claims he was wrongly jailed in Afghanistan has launched an appeal against his conviction, the Foreign Office said.
Father-of-three Bill Shaw, 52, from Leeds, was jailed for two years in March and fined £16,700 after being found guilty of bribing officials.
He told the Sunday Telegraph that he is being kept in solitary confinement because “there’s a $10,000 bounty on my head”.
The former Army officer had been working in the war-torn country as manager of a security firm at the time.
His family claim his trial, held in the Afghan capital Kabul, was a “sham”.
They have said the charges against him were “totally misconceived” and “not proven”.
During the trial Shaw said he paid for the release of two vehicles that had been impounded.
He explained that he believed he was paying a legitimate fine which he claimed was fully documented and approved in accordance with his company’s procedures.
He insisted that he had not offered a bribe at any time. Shaw, who was awarded the MBE, has launched his appeal against the conviction.
The case, held in Kabul, was adjourned after two hours and will resume tomorrow, the Foreign Office said.
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