A leading British barrister has been appointed by the FIA to investigate whether or not Max Mosley’s much-reported sexual exploits had Nazi connotations.
According to The Times, “Anthony Scrivener QC has been asked by senior officers of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) to provide an analysis of allegations published in the News of the World that have led to widespread calls for Mr Mosley to resign.”
It continues: “The organisation did not reveal who had come up with the idea of appointing Mr Scrivener but said that he would provide an opinion on whether the newspaper was right to describe as ‘inspired by the Nazis’ what appeared to be prison-camp routines… It is thought that Mr Scrivener’s opinion will be available to members on that day [June 3 hearing] to help them to decide whether he should resign.”
The BBC News website quotes a FIA statement pointing out that Mr Scrivener QC was elected by the FIA general assembly in 2006 to serve as a judge at its International Court of Appeal.
Meanwhile Sir Jackie Stewart, an old adversary of Mosley’s and one of the few members of the Formula One establishment prepared to explicitly criticise him before his present difficulties began, has called for the FIA president to quit.
He told BBC Radio Five Live: “He’s gone beyond anything they [F1’s corporate sponsors] would tolerate.”
He added that Mosley’s behaviour was in breach of such companies’ “corporate moral guidelines” and pointed out that motor clubs around the world would not approve either.
“Therefore it’s very difficult to see how he could stay under these circumstances.
“I think it’s going to be very difficult commercially for the companies involved in Formula One to carry that and the motor clubs to carry it. I think that’s quite serious.”
And Ron Dennis has, rather bizarrely, had to deny that he was personally involved in the newspaper sting that caught out Mosley in the first place.
He’s now “considering the appropriate route via which the remarks that have been attributed to [Radovan Novak, general secretary of the Czech Automobile Association] may be withdrawn or corrected.” Full story here…