After 46 years on death row for several murder charges, a Japanese man was found not guilty.

Iwao Hakamada, an 88-year-old Japanese man, has been found not guilty of multiple murders after spending almost five decades on death row.

Hakamada has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming that investigators coerced him into confessing, while his lawyers argued that evidence was fabricated by the police.

The case that has sparked intense scrutiny of Japan’s death penalty practices sees Hakamada sentenced to death by hanging in of his boss, his boss’s wife, and their two teenage children, as well as for setting their home ablaze two years earlier

His time on death row, lasting 46 years, is believed to be the longest for any prisoner worldwide, ending in 2014 when new evidence led to a retrial, The Guardian UK reports.

Following the verdict, there was no immediate announcement regarding a potential appeal by prosecutors, according to Kyodo news agency and other media outlets. Hakamada’s defence team has urged prosecutors not to challenge the ruling, citing his age.

Koshi Kunii, the presiding judge at Shizuoka district court, confirmed that three pieces of evidence were fabricated, including Hakamada’s “confession” and clothing that prosecutors claimed he wore during the murders.

His sister, 91-year-old Hideko Hakamada, who has tirelessly advocated for her brother, expressed hope before the ruling: “For so long we have fought a battle that has felt endless. But this time, I believe it will be settled.”

While prosecutors sought the death penalty once more, legal experts suggested that Hakamada was likely to be acquitted, referencing four other postwar retrials in Japan that resulted in overturned convictions for death row inmates.