After F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone avoided jail time by paying £653 million to HMRC (the taxman), a watchdog is now investigating Ecclestone’s former family solicitor, Stephen Mullens. This investigation comes shortly after Ecclestone received a suspended 17-month jail sentence for admitting fraud in a tax investigation. Ecclestone, 92, agreed to pay almost a quarter of his fortune to the taxman after confessing to hiding £416 million from HMRC. Mullens, who had been advising Ecclestone since 1999, is being probed by the lawyers’ watchdog for not disclosing a separate court ruling against him two years ago. Mullens was ordered to pay tax on £40 million in ‘gifts’ received from Ecclestone’s ex-wife, Slavica. He claimed that these payments were not taxable as they were given to him as a gesture of gratitude. However, HMRC successfully argued that the money Mullens received was ‘consideration for his services to the Ecclestone family interests’. The total value of the disputed tax, including penalties and interest, exceeded £20 million. The Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) has initiated an investigation into Mullens after being made aware of the court ruling by The Mail on Sunday. The SRA has the authority to strike off solicitors. Campaign group TaxWatch criticized the reliance on members to report wrongdoing, stating that professional bodies regulating solicitors should actively monitor tribunal decisions and trade press coverage. The investigation into Mullens comes as a result of this lack of active monitoring. Ecclestone amassed a £2.5 billion fortune since taking control of Formula 1 in the 1970s and has two daughters with Slavica before their divorce in 2009. Mullens was not available for comment.

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