The former “sponsor” of Formula 1 (F1) was accused of failing to advertise an institution in Singapore with a bank account in which about 650 million US dollars (649 million euros) is deposited.
At a hearing held today at Westminster Magistrates Court (London), the businessman caught the attention of a large number of photographers and television cameras, who previously requested court security personnel to be careful with the businessman due to his advanced age.
Ecclestone, 91, had been at the helm of Formula 1 for forty years, before he was sacked in 2017.
His attorney, Claire Montgomery, said during today’s hearing that her client had “some small hearing problems.”
In his letter, Ecclestone confirmed his name, date of birth and address in Knightsbridge, central London, before pleading “not guilty” to a charge of false representation allegedly committed between July 2013 and October of 2016.
The court decided to release him on bail without conditions and he will have to appear before another British court, Southwark Court (in London) on 19 September.
The charge Ecclestone faces was authorized last month by Britain’s attorney general’s office, which determined the businessman had not declared assets to the Treasury overseas.
Simon York, director of the Treasury Department’s Fraud Investigation Service, noted at the time that the indictment follows “a complex and comprehensive criminal investigation by the Fraud Investigation Agency (Treasury)”. (F)
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