[Closed] Bernie F1 bribe

do you think HMRC will be after him as well?

Judging by HMRC's dogged pursuit of Vodafone, no.

This has been rumbling for a couple of years now - the German case has been held up by translation of all the papers so I'd expect that if the HMRC were going to do anything they'd have tried by now.

Bernie has a habit of (publicly) simplifying anything to the point of ridicule then walking away. In the background he can afford better lawyers than the German or UK state and so can and probably will get away with this sort of thing.

If (big IF) he does get get convicted then there is a possibility that this could result in him having to step aside from his position in FOM. I'd hope that his successor (one way or t'other) takes a different view of where to take F1 in future and the whole approach to funding and distribution of money, but somehow I expect that someone is already being schooled in the way of Bernie.

Bernie eccleston is corrupt WOW what a surprise that is

still his defence looks pretty robust

In his testimony, Mr Ecclestone said he had been worried that if he had not paid the money, Gribkowsky would have alerted the UK tax authorities to "things" that might have led to a tax inquiry.

"The only alternative was that the British tax authorities followed a case that would have been very expensive for me," said Mr Ecclestone at the time.

"The tax risk would have exceeded £2bn. I paid him to keep calm and not to do silly things."

Fairly sure this mans moral propriety is now beyond reproach as how could anyone think that Bernie was bribing him
Surely that is just a confession?

I hope he does some serious bird and loses a fair chunk of money for this

As for HMRC he is rich and powerful so they will be after a benefit fraudster

In the Gribowsky trial he said he had felt menaced - in the same way someone asks you for money and tells you they know where your kids go to schools- cue court room ROFL.

You have to laugh - surely its normally Bernie doing the menacing. Ironically he want his epitaph to be 'mr handshake' - as in the guy that could be trusted on a handshake. But read his biography, No Angel, and its abundantly clear that the polar opposite is true. Fair play to what he achieved, but the means dont justify the ends and money only buys so much respectability.

Anyway, back to the OP - Bernie is claiming he paid the money demanded by Gribowsky as a payment to stop Gribowsky giving HMRC a report he had comissioned that suggested the transfer of Bernie's wealth to the Bambino trust was a sham and in fact Bernie still controlled the trust indirectly - if Bernie did still essentially guide control the trust he is liable to tax, if he was truly disassociated from the money then he isnt. In this case Bernie did nothing illegal - paying a blackmailer - and this is his story.
Howoever the indictment is that the money was actually a bribe for Gribowsky, who controlled the BayernLB shares, taken over in the Kirch media collapse, in F1 Management parent company(SLEC), to sell them to CVC at a good price. Which is bribery.

In this case Bernie did nothing illegal - paying a blackmailer

Not seeing his legal get out here tbh

he is an odious individual IMHO

As an aside.

When I worked in Germany bribes were still legal and tax deductible, as long as the person been bribed was not in the EU... Which is why the company I worked for used its German company to expand its Eastern Europe operations.

Surely he did something illegal because if the blackmailers claims were not true then he could not have been blackmailed
In his essence he either bribed - illegal - or gave into blackmail - committed tax fraud and illegal

Not seeing his legal get out here tbh

The Gribowsky report does not prove tax fraud - it merely raises a suggestion. Bernie giving in to the blackmail is not illegal.

As an aside.
When I worked in Germany bribes were still legal and tax deductible, as long as the person been bribed was not in the EU... Which is why the company I worked for used its German company to expand its Eastern Europe operations.

Google Siemens + FCPA.....

The Gribowsky report does not prove tax fraud - it merely raises a suggestion. Bernie giving in to the blackmail is not illegal.

"The only alternative was that the British tax authorities followed a case that would have been very expensive for me," said Mr Ecclestone at the time.

Didn't clever old Bernie admit to the tax avoidance under immunity while giving evidence to Gribowksky's trial and at the same time painted himself as the victim? I expect Bernie will get away with it like he does with pretty much everything.

tax avoidance under immunity

The German courts cannot grant immunity on behalf of HMRC.

Rememeber, there are 2 issues here - the German court is indicting him on bribery - they say the payment is bribery for the CVC share sale, not a blackmail payment.

The tax avoidance is an HMRC issue, compeletely separate.

know that it was what he did that allowed him to be blackmailed that is illegal and he has confessed

No Junky, you are summarising across different facts.

You may avoid tax, you may not evade tax. The point is did Bambino legitimately avoid tax because Bernie in fact disassociated himself from the money? or was it evasion because behind the scenes Bernie was in some way shape or form influencing control over the Trustees?

HMRC may investigate and may well find that Bernie did nothing illegal.

What Bernie was trying to avoid was a report which suggested there was smoke only - it did not however say there was cfire.

You ask anyone self-employed on here who has had an HMRC investigation and they will tell you why Bernie wanted to avoid it - they make life hell regardless of guilt or not.

BTW. I'm not in any way defending him, i'm just explaining the story!

Surely he did something illegal because if the blackmailers claims were not true then he could not have been blackmailed

I liked him when he put fans on the back of F1 cars, not so much now.

"Bernie wants this, Bernie wants that...". Am beginning to thoroughly dislike this man.

Careful boys? heart attack gun and ice bullets out on the trail?

Been indicted in Germany according to BBC News this morning. 😆

Bernie wants this, Bernie wants that...". Am beginning to thoroughly dislike this man.

Last week I was at Silverstone for a conference while the staff desperately tried to locate a remote for the house lighting for us. Why not just use the light switches you ask, because there aren't any because Bernie doesn't like them!

separated at birth?

Bernie Ecclestone
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Davros
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I dont understand why people dont like him. Is he not a great role model ?

Rich business man, wife younger than his daughter, gets things done ?

🙂

I paid him to keep calm and not to do silly things."

Rich business man, wife younger than his daughter, gets things done ?

Yup, and like most of his ilk, 2nd wife & kids got nearly all of the money!

Wasn't the other person that 'got things done' that Bernie seemed to admire an certain National Socialism leader?