LONDON Dec 10 (Reuters) – The trial on corruption charges
of Victor Dahdaleh came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday when
counsel for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) told a London court
there was no longer a realistic prospect of a conviction.

The collapse of the long-running trial is a serious setback
for the SFO after a series of blunders in other high-profile
cases which had already damaged its reputation.

Counsel for the SFO said it would present no evidence
against Dahdaleh, leaving the judge at Southwark Crown Court to
instruct the jury to return verdicts of not guilty on all eight
charges. The jury was then discharged.

Dahdaleh is a businessman accused of paying some $67 million
in bribes to former managers of Aluminium Bahrain (Alba)
in return for a cut of contracts worth over $3
billion.