19/08/2005
NEWS STORY
A Stuttgart court is understood to have dropped perjury charges in a long running case involving Willi Weber, manager of F1 stars Michael and Ralf Schumacher.
According to the Deutsche Press Agency, following five days of legal deliberations, the charges have been dropped on condition that Weber pays £34,000 ($61,000) to an approved local charity by the end of the month.
The perjury charges relate to a case which dates back to the mid-90s, in which Weber is alleged to have attempted to cheat Burkhard Nuppeney out of management fees relating to Michael Schumacher, Nuppeney claiming 50% of Michael Schumacher's management fees between 1989 and 1999.
It is alleged that Webber caused Udo Wagenhauser to commit perjury in 2004, when he validated Weber's story, claiming that Nuppeney had voluntarily given up his management role with Schumacher. Wagenhauser was subsequently given a one-year custodial sentence after being found guilty.
Although the perjury charges - which would have almost certainly mean incarceration - against Weber have been dropped, there remains the little matter of the outstanding lawsuit for £3.9m ($7m) that Nuppeney has lodged.
It's believed that Weber 'receives' around 20% of Michael Schumacher's earnings, currently thought to be worth around £40m a year.