Instead he ordered Constantin and Ecclestone to pay half of the F1 supremo’s
costs each. Ecclestone was not at the hearing.
Constantin told the judge that it had run up legal fees of about £6.5 million.
A lawyer representing the company said Ecclestone’s legal bill of “nearly
£8.5 million … really is a fantastic figure”.
A lawyer representing Ecclestone accepted that “overall costs” were “high” but
he said they were not “that high for commercial litigation”.
At the trial, Constantin said payments totalling about £27 million had been
made to Gerhard Gribkowsky – a “senior ranking official” at a German bank –
nine years ago at the instigation of Ecclestone.
The company said a “corrupt arrangement” had been entered into. Ecclestone
said Constantin’s claim lacked “any merit” and denied any conspiracy.
He said he paid Gribkowsky £10 million because the banker insinuated that he
would create difficulties with tax authorities.
Newey concluded that payments made were a “bribe”. He said they were made
because Ecclestone had entered into a “corrupt agreement” with the banker in
2005. The judge described some evidence given by Ecclestone, chief executive
of the Formula One Group, as “unsatisfactory”.
Ecclestone is facing trial in Germany later this year after being accused of
bribery. Those allegations also centre around claims relating to Gribkowsky.
Constantin says it aims to try to overturn Newey’s dismissal of its claim in
the Court of Appeal.