An incident from the 2014 Formula 1 season has led to legal repercussions for former Lotus boss Gerard Lopez: the trial is due to begin in December
Former Lotus owner Gerard Lopez is due to appear in court shortly to face charges of forgery and the use of forged documents. The case relates to the Formula 1 team.
Lopez had taken over the Renault team in the late 2000s via the investment firm Genii Capital, which he had founded together with Eric Lux. At the time, the French marque had decided to withdraw from Formula 1 as a works team in the wake of the global financial crisis and the ‘Crashgate’ scandal.
The Lotus team, which emerged from this takeover, was at times one of the most successful teams of that era: it improved steadily and developed into one of the top teams during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Kimi Räikkönen secured two victories during this period. However, financially drained, the team entered a significant downward spiral from 2014 onwards, before being bought back by Renault in 2015.
What the current case has to do with the Formula 1 team
Now, of all things, the courts are looking into a case dating back to 2014. As reported by the newspaper Ouest-France, the case specifically concerns a suspicious financial transaction worth two million euros between Lotus and the Luxembourgish football club CS Fola Esch, of which Lopez was president at the time.
Alongside Lopez, Lux, as well as Mauro Mariani and Francois Dele on behalf of Fola Esch, must also answer to the court.
According to the defendants, the sum in question was intended to fund a youth development programme for young footballers. The prosecution, however, believes that information contained in some documents relating to the transaction does not correspond to the facts.
Lopez and Lux had lodged appeals against the opening of the proceedings. Their latest appeal was dismissed by the Court of Cassation on 21 May. The trial is therefore due to begin in December. If convicted, the defendants face up to five years’ imprisonment.
