News

Willi Betz, the man behind the eponymous German transport firm, has reportedly had charges of tax evasion and bribery dropped by the German authorities due to his ill health.

A court in Stuttgart considered that the 81-year-old Betz was unable to manage the trial because his health was too fragile.

In February 2008, Willi Betz's son, Thomas Betz, the then  CEO of the company was fined €2.16m (£1.85m) and handed a five-year prison sentence after the regional court initiated a settlement into the company's ongoing legal dispute. He was released from custody in July 2008, with the remaining sentence converted to a conditional sentence.

Thomas and Willi Betz, alongside three executives of Willi Betz, allegedly paid more than €4.5m to a senior public official in Georgia and Azerbaijan for permits between 1998 and 2003. In return, the company allegedly received permission for trans-border truck transport of cargo, which was alleged to result in a €183m boost to its gross profit.