Except that he didn't buy his way out. Just because he made an offer, that doesn't mean that the courts had to accept. If you read their statement, they made it clear that a ruling in favour of the state was not a guarantee. The case relied on evidence from Gerhard Gribkowsky, who had already been convicted and sentenced in relation to the episode, which throws his entire testimony into question. Ecclestone won several parallel rulings in the British courts earlier this year, which were seen to be a boost to his chances in Germany, and finally, the prosecution had never been able to demonstrate that the money was paid as a bribe, rather than as extortion - especially since Gribkowsky didn't get his way with the sport after the money was paid.