- Almost five years ago, a court in London declared Boris Becker insolvent. After that he had to disclose all his assets – but the former tennis superstar didn’t do that.
- This is the conclusion reached by a court jury in the British capital.
- The jury found Becker guilty.
In the London criminal trial against Boris Becker, the jury found the former German tennis star guilty on several counts. The jury decided that the 54-year-old withheld parts of his assets from his insolvency administrator Mark Ford. Becker could theoretically face a prison sentence. The sentence is to be announced on April 29th. Becker was present at the verdict – he can still appeal the verdict.
Becker was declared bankrupt on June 21, 2017. The jury has now concluded that he failed to disclose all of his possessions on four of 24 counts, contrary to legal requirements. The allegations involved bank accounts and real estate, as well as several trophies, including the Wimbledon trophy from Becker’s first win at the all-important Grand Slam tournament in 1985.
Was Becker “lazy and naive”?
The former exceptional athlete had strictly rejected the allegations. Becker testified in court that he had neither the time nor the expertise and therefore always left financial matters to his advisors. His lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw had described him as “naive and lazy”. He was also not informed in good time what obligations he would have after his insolvency.
Legend:
According to the public prosecutor, he should not have withheld the trophy of his greatest triumph, the 1985 Wimbledon Cup, from the estate administrator.
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Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley did not believe his statements. Becker intentionally transferred money to other accounts in order to prevent his insolvency administrators from accessing it. He also knew that he was registered as the owner of several properties, she said in the process.