Bernie Ecclestone detained with shotgun in Portugal: case echoes arrest in Brazil in 2022
The former CEO of Formula 1 was detained on Monday at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais with a shotgun. In 2022, he had already been arrested in Campinas for illegal weapons possession.
Ecclestone detained in Portugal with shotgun echoes incident at Campinas airport
The detention of Bernie Ecclestone on Monday (7) at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, Portugal, after being found with a shotgun in his private jet, echoes a previous incident recorded in Brazil. As ascertained by oglobo.globo.com, in May 2022 the former CEO of Formula 1 had already been arrested in flagrante for illegal weapons possession at Viracopos International Airport in Campinas (SP).
The 2022 case in Campinas
Ecclestone, then 91 years old, was preparing to board a private jet bound for Switzerland when X-ray equipment identified a .32 calibre pistol, LW Seecamp brand, inside his baggage. The weapon was in the pocket of a shirt, without a magazine, without ammunition and without proper documentation, according to information from the police report obtained by g1.
To the Civil Police, the British businessman stated he was the owner of the pistol, but claimed not to know it was in his baggage. According to the police record, Ecclestone declared he had acquired the weapon from a Formula 1 mechanic approximately five years earlier, and that it was kept in a rural property in the interior of São Paulo.
Ecclestone was taken to the police station installed at the airport and released after paying bail of R$ 6,060. He then boarded for Switzerland in his private aeroplane. His wife, Brazilian Fabiana Ecclestone, acted as interpreter during the procedure, since the businessman does not speak Portuguese.
New detention in Portugal
At 95 years old, Ecclestone was detained again in analogous circumstances, this time after landing at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais. According to the Portuguese press, it had not yet been defined, at the time of publication, whether he would be formally accused or presented to a judge.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo