instead, formula one chief executive ernie eccleston left this courtroom with a 75 million euros fine. in april, he was accused of bribing a form and your -- former german banker. it is alleged he paid the money so that his stake in formula one went to his preferred bidders. >> it is not that easy for in 83-year-old to face trial in a foreign country when he does not understand the language or foreign laws. he has earned a lot of respect in terms of how he has coped with the situation in the past few months. >> banker gerhard precocity was given a years for accepting money in 2012. the prosecutor said due to eccleston's age, she was in favor of the settlement. it is the deal that spares him a lengthy trial and potentially a guilty verdict. >> it means there was not a conclusion on the guilt or innocence of the defendant, and he is leaving the courtroom as a free man. >> eccleston's personal fortune was estimated to be over 3 billion euros. he now has one week to pay around 74 million of that to the german state, and a further 750,000 euros to a children's charity. >> bernie ecclestone