[bjohnsonsmith]

I find this, from the BBC article very interesting.

'In his testimony, Mr Ecclestone said he had been worried that if he had not paid the money, Gribkowsky would have alerted the UK tax authorities to "things" that might have led to a tax inquiry.

He believed Gribkowsky intended to tell the UK tax authorities that Mr Ecclestone was secretly in charge of the Bambino Trust, which is in his ex-wife's name.

Mr Ecclestone said at the time that the claim was false, but that proving it "would have been very expensive for me. The tax risk would have exceeded £2bn. I paid him to keep calm and not to do silly things," he said.'