A report from the Süddeutsche Zeitung indicates that the Munich prosecutor may be prepared by the end of May to file charges against Bernie Ecclestone for alleged bribery. It may be the end of June before the charges are officially filed because they must be translated to English first and sent to Ecclestone's lawyers to be official. 

Ecclestone has been accused of paying a $44 million bribe to banker Gerhard Gribkowsky in 2006 for favor in selecting Formula 1's owner, CVC Capital Partners, to buy a remaining portion of Formula 1 stock. Gribkowsky claimed it was a bribe to sell to CVC Capital Partners, and Ecclestone claimed Gribkowsky was blackmailing him, so he paid the money. Gribkowsky was found guilty of not paying taxes on the bribe last year.

According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung's source in the Munich prosecutor, its investigation into Ecclestone is complete. Before any court case can start, the charges would have to be translated into English and sent to Ecclestone's lawyers. It could be the autumn or longer before both sides step into court, if Ecclestone is charged.

In January, Ecclestone said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph that "[CVC] will probably be forced to get rid of me if the Germans come after me. It's pretty obvious, if I'm locked up."

Ecclestone has already employed lawyers in Germany to try to prevent the charges, and he also has lawyers in England. 

Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung