25/08/2005
NEWS STORY
The Schumacher' manager, Willi Weber, who is due to be officially named as the franchise holder for the German A1 GP team later today, was recently ordered to make a donation of £34,000 ($61,000) to an (approved) local charity in order that perjury charges against him be dropped.
He paid, they were dropped. Though the outstanding matter of a £3.9m ($7m) lawsuit, involving a former 'partner' continues.
Having handed over the money, and thereby probably avoided a holiday at German tax payer's expense, Weber is understood to be launching a £100,000 lawsuit against Tom Rubython and his Business F1 magazine following an article it published in March alleging that the German had been involved in prostitution and drug running
Weber, who refutes the claims says that the article is untrue and has damaged his "personal and professional reputations and caused him hurt, distress and embarrassment".
Rubython and Business F1 is only just recovering from another bruising in the law courts, when Alan Donnelly, the official representative of the FIA at Formula One Grands Prix, sued following claims that he had obtained exorbitant and undeserved sums from the FIA in the form of 11.05 million euros (£7.6m) over the previous three years, and that the monies had been diverted to Sovereign Strategy Ltd, for his own personal use.
The magazine was ordered to pay Mr Donnelly damages and his legal costs.
Meanwhile, it's believed that FIA President, Max Mosley, has his own lawsuit against Business F1 in progress.