MOSCOW, Oct 4 Former F1 president Bernie Ecclestone to appear Ecclestone, 91, was charged with fraud by the British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in July next year on charges of fraud following an investigation by the UK Revenue and Customs Authority (HMRC). At the pre-trial hearing, he declared his innocence. Judge Deborah Taylor scheduled a hearing for October 9, 2023, saying that the process could take up to six weeks. According to media reports, Ecclestone provided false information to the tax office, he did not declare assets in the amount of 472 million euros (400 million pounds sterling) located abroad.Earlier, Ecclestone called Vladimir Putin a first-class person for whom he is ready to «grab a bullet», and also criticized the policies of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Following these comments, Formula 1 released a statement emphasizing that Ecclestone's words «are his personal opinion and stand in stark contrast to the current values of the sport.» A week later, Ecclestone was forced to make excuses for his earlier words in support of Russia and Putin, noting that he said this without thinking. He also called on Russia and Ukraine to sit down at the negotiating table.
