The recent revelation that German prosecutors have admitted Bernie Ecclestone was blackmailed into paying £26m raises an interesting question. In short, what does Ecclestone have to prove to be found innocent of the bribery charges which he is currently defending in a criminal trial in Germany?Ecclestone's defence is that the £26m was a blackmail payment and although the prosecutors have accepted this they also think that he paid a bribe. They have to prove it and if they do then Ecclestone could face up to ten years in prison.To recap, the £26m was paid by Ecclestone and his Bambino family trust to Gerhard Gribkowsky, a senior executive at German bank BayernLB which...
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