He was referring to the Bavarian courts system.
"This is not a robbery. I am collecting for the Bavarian state," says the cartoon figure on horseback as Ecclestone holds out a sack of money.
A greeting in the card sent to Reuters, Ecclestone adds another tongue-in-cheek comment: "Maybe now we can have a Formula 1 race in the really nice city of Munich, Germany."
INNOCENCE PRESERVED
Ecclestone paid the equivalent of R1-billion in August 2014 under the terms of a settlement with prosecutors to end the bribery trial in Munich. The agreement meant Ecclestone, now 84, preserved his innocence and was spared the prospect of a lengthy trial.
He had one week to pay the money - R90-million to the state and R10-million more to a children's charity - within the deadline.
He was accused of channelling cash to jailed BayernLB banker Gerhard Gribkowsky to grease the successful sale of a major stake in F1 to private-equity fund CVC, now the largest shareholder in the business.