A London jury on Friday found German former tennis star Boris Becker guilty on several counts after his bankruptcy trial.
Becker was facing court over 24 offenses related to his 2017 bankruptcy, which he declared over a 3.5 million GBP ($4.6 million, €4.2 million) bank loan for a Spanish property.
The court found Becker guilty of charges including failing to disclose estate and concealing debt.
He was acquitted on a further 20 counts.
The sentence is due to be announced on April 29.
What assets is Becker accused of hiding?
Becker, a former world Number 1 and six-time Grand Slam champion, has apparently told trustees attempting to secure his assets that he was not in possession of multiple trophies.
He said his Wimbledon title was in the Tennis Hall of Fame, another was with the German tennis federation (DTB), and the third had been given to his mother.
He also said the missing prizes did not hold significant value or interest to him.
The court heard this money was paid in a business account that he was treating as a private “piggy bank.”
Other interests at stake include a London flat, an €825,000 bank loan, and substantial sums paid to his ex-wife Barbara Becker, as well as estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker, and a friend.
Also of interest are €300,000 transferred to his own account, large sums spent at fashion outlets, and school fees and funds transferred to a joint account held with his son Noah.
Becker, who won 49 singles titles during his 16-year playing career, has denied all the charges against him.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Teenaged German hero
On July 7, 1985 a 17-year-old, unseeded Boris Becker became an overnight star, defeating Kevin Curren to win the men’s final at Wimbledon. He remains the youngest player to win at Wimbledon. He went on to defend his title in 1986, beating Ivan Lendl in the final, before winning it for a third time in 1989 when he overcame Stefan Edberg.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
The dawn of a new era
Before Boris Becker came along, Germany had never won the Davis Cup, This changed in 1988 when Becker and Carl-Uwe Steeb won their doubles match over then-world No. 1 Mats Wilander and reigning Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg. Becker was also part of the German teams that won the Davis Cup in 1989 and 1993.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Acrobat
In 1990, Becker was named German male athlete of the year for a fourth time. His high-pressure and flexible game was best suited to fast surfaces particularly indoors and on grass. His was a serve-and-volley player and the fans loved him for his specialty, an acrobatic diving volley.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
World No. 1
Becker got off to a perfect start in the 1991 season, winning the Australian Open and reaching the top of the men’s singles rankings for the first time. The German won a total of 49 singles titles in his career, including six Grand Slams. The French Open, however, eluded him.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Silent partners
At the Barcelona Summer Olympics in 1992, both Becker and his German rival Michael Stich (above, left) were eliminated early from the men’s singles. However, they combined to win gold in the men’s doubles. “We didn’t really talk to each other at all between the rallies,” Becker would later say. “We really didn’t like each other.”
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Wife No. 1
In late 1993 Becker married German-American actress and designer Barbara Feltus. Six years later, she and the rest of the world learned of his broom-closet affair with Russian model Angela Ermakova. The affair produced Becker’s third child and led to his 2001 divorce from Barbara.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Farewell to the tennis court
Boris Becker’s last match as a professional tennis player was his defeat to Australia’s Patrick Rafter in the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 1999. Becker’s career took a high physical toll on him. He has been quoted as saying that “I have two new hips and a 10-centimeter-long (six inches) metal plate in my right ankle, and I have a slight limp.”
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Tax-evasion conviction
In 2002, Becker was convicted of evading €1.7 million ($1.9 million) in tax and handed a two-year suspended sentence. The judge had found that although Becker, like many other wealthy celebrities, officially resided in Monaco between 1991 and 1993, he actually spent the bulk of his time in Munich.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Another day in court
In 2007, Becker found himself back in court as the owner of 60 percent of the shares in a company called Sportgate, which had gone bankrupt several years earlier. This time he got off easy, with the judges ordering him to pay just €114,000, far less than creditors had originally demanded.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Wife No. 2
In 2009, Becker married again, making Sharlely Kerssenberg of the Netherlands his second wife. She is the mother of his fourth child, Amadeus Benedict Edley Luis. They split their time between London and Zurich.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
New job
At the end of 2013 most were surprised by the news that Boris Becker had just become Novak Djokovic’s new coach. The Serbian, who at the time was the world No. 2, hired Becker in the hope that he could be of particular help with the mental side of his game. Under his German coach, Djokovic went on to return to the No. 1 spot in 2014.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Surplus to requirements
Djokovic and Becker formed a successful partnership, with the Serbian winning six Grand Slam titles under the German’s tutelage. It all fell apart in late 2016 though. Becker pointed to a lack of intensity in training as the reason for Djokovic’s dip in form. It has also been said that he didn’t feel comfortable with the influence on the Serbian of a Spanish spiritual guru.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Bankrupt
On June 21, 2017, a London court declared Boris Becker bankrupt after a private bank went to court over a “substantial” sum he owed them. The registrar found that there was a lack of credible evidence the amount would be paid anytime soon. Becker has rejected the notion, telling the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung that he was “neither insolvent, nor bankrupt.”
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
‘Head of tennis’
All through his ups and downs, Boris Becker has remained the face of men’s tennis in Germany. In August 2017, the German tennis federation (DTB) has named him to the newly created post of “head of tennis.” In his new role, he is to manage all German men’s tennis and oversee the running of the country’s Davis Cup team. Barbara Rittner was given a similar role for the women.
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Boris Becker turns 50: His career in pictures
Looking back with satisfaction
Becker, seen here at the 2017 ATP Finals in London, refused to answer when asked by a reporter to say how he planned to celebrate his 50th birthday. “This is a private matter that I will not comment on,” he said. In a German television documentary, Becker seemed satisfied with his lot in life. “When I look back at my life… I think, then I have gotten more things right than wrong,” he said.
Author: Chuck Penfold
fb/msh (dpa, AFP)
