Bernie Ecclestone Bribes His Way Out of Bribery Charge

Former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone will avoid jail time because of a technicality in Germany that allows defendants to end a trail for a fee.

The wildly wealthy and rarely liked F1 figure was forced to step down from his position with the sport after it came to light that he bribed a banker with $45 million to ensure that a company he favored would purchase a large stake in F1. Despite being officially forced to step down from his position, Ecclestone is running the sport from behind the scenes.

SEE ALSO: Bernie Ecclestone Indicted on Bribery Charges

The bribed banker went to jail, but according to The Guardian, Ecclestone won’t suffer the same fate. Instead, he paid the court $100 million to end the trial. According to the paper, this isn’t the first time a wealthy offender paid to end a trial in the country, but it is the biggest fee ever paid to do so.

[Source: The Guardian]