No trial decision for Ecclestone until September

Will Bernie be wearing a pinstripe suit of a different flavor?

(GMM) The Munich court will wait until mid-September to decide if the Bernie Ecclestone bribery case will be brought to trial.

The court decided in May to prosecute F1's chief executive for paying a $44 million bribe amid the sale of the sport to CVC some years ago.

The charges were finally received in English by Ecclestone and his lawyers on Wednesday.

The 82-year-old Briton's lawyers said in a statement that they will reply vigorously to the charges, which they say rely heavily on the testimony of jailed German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky.

"The main topic of the response will be the changing 'confessions' of Mr. Gribkowsky," the statement said.

Ecclestone told the Financial Times on Wednesday: "It will be an interesting case."

The court reportedly said a decision about whether to send the charges to trial would probably not be made until mid-September.

A court spokesman confirmed those reports, adding that Ecclestone's defense team has until mid-August to submit a response to the charges.