JANUARY 16, 2006

Germans confirm charges against Toyota men

The Staatsanwaltschaft Kln, the public prosecution service in the Cologne area, has confirmed that it is filing charges against three former members of staff of Toyota Motorsport who are suspected of having used technology stolen from Ferrari. The three men have not been identified. The charges relate to the use of a data analysis programme used in 2002 and 2003 which they believe came from Ferrari with one of the technicians at the start of 2002. These investigations are independent of those being conducted in Italy. The case will be heard by a judge in Cologne before a decision is made whether or not it should go to trial.