A U.K. appeals court has overturned a controversial decision to jail an executive who cooperated with the Serious Fraud Office in a high-profile corruption case.

Robert Dougall, former marketing director at healthcare company DePuy International, pleaded guilty to corruption charges last month under a plea deal agreed upon with the SFO.

The SFO told the courts that Dougall, a whistleblower, had provided “substantial assistance” with an ongoing investigation and asked for a suspended sentence.

But the judge ignored the agency’s plea deal and sent Dougall to jail for 12 months, arguing that bribery and corruption were serious offenses that deserved jail time. The sentence made Dougall the first U.K. executive to face a prison spell for overseas corruption offenses.

The decision left the SFO’ anti-corruption strategy—based on self-reporting and plea bargaining—in tatters.

But today an appeal court overturned Dougall’s sentence and said he shouldn’t go to jail. His sentence is now suspended, which is what the SFO originally asked for.

The appeal judges, Mr Justice David Clarke, the country’s most senior judge, and Mr Justice Lloyd Jones, said the “aggravating features” of the case were clear but concluded that the SFO’s argument for a suspended sentence was “more attractive than it had seemed on first reading.”

But the judges warned that corruption whistleblowers should not think they are automatically exempt from custodial sentences.

Dougall has admitted that he was involved in making corrupt payments of £4.5 million ($6.6 million) to people working for the Greek state health system. The SFO is still investigating others suspected of involvement.

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