Will August Busch IV lose his seat on AB-InBev’s board?

Mr Busch must have gone through a version of hell while he was being chewed over by the world’s press following the death of his girl-friend just before Christmas 2010. On 9 February 2011 the St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said that cocaine and oxycodone were found in Adrienne Martin’s system as a result of an accidental overdose. However, no charges will be filed. Some relief for August Busch IV.

Following the release of the medical examiner’s report on Ms Martin’s death, the U.S. blogosphere was rife with indignation. Many bloggers complained that in the U.S. there was one set of laws for the rich and privileged, another set for everybody else.

What bloggers disliked was the seemingly quick dismissal of any and all responsibility for this of Mr Busch, whereas anybody else would have been investigated for months and likely prosecuted just for allowing it to happen.

Still, the fact that no charges will be pressed against Mr Busch does not mean that he will come out of this sad affair unscathed.

As we already wrote in our review of Julie Macintosh’s book “Dethroning the king” in December last year, the question remains of whether August Busch will be able to hold on to his seat on AB-InBev’s board of directors following the revelations about Ms Martin’s death.

Many beer industry analysts think we shall know the answer before the end of March when AB-InBev will send out invitations to its General Shareholder Meeting scheduled for 26 April 2011. According to AB-InBev’s regulations, shareholders will need to approve any changes to its board.

Another board director pegged to resign is Jean-Luc Dehaene, the former Belgian Prime Minister (1992-1999), who joined Interbrew’s board in 2001. Mr Dehaene turned 70 last summer and thus reached the board’s statutory retirement age.