Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has offered to make a $100 million payment to end his bribery trial, a German court said on Tuesday, with state prosecutors saying they would accept the offer which would save his job.
Asked by Judge Peter Noll if he could raise the $100 million payment (74.68 million pounds), Ecclestone said "yes". When asked if the payment could be made within a week, his defence attorney Sven Thomas said: "that's do-able".
The judge, who noted in his brief comments that Ecclestone had no previous criminal record, said the court would adjourn for four hours until 1 p.m. (12:00 BST) to consider whether to accept the agreement.
Ecclestone, 83, went on trial in Munich in April over allegations he paid a $44 million bribe to a former German banker to facilitate the sale of a major stake in the motor sport business eight years ago.
Ecclestone, a former used car salesman who became a billionaire by building the sport into a global money spinner over the past four decades, has denied any wrongdoing.
Private equity group CVC, the largest shareholder in Formula One with a stake of 35 percent, has said it would have fired Ecclestone if he were found guilty.
The state prosecutor told the court on Tuesday that due to Ecclestone's "advanced age" and "other extenuating circumstances", they supported the proposed settlement.
The state prosecutor added that during the course of the trial it was becoming increasingly clear that the bribery charges would be difficult to hold up.
Bütün xəbərlər Facebook səhifəmizdə
USD
EUR
GBP
RUB