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Boris Becker has been accused of hiding trophies and medals won during his illustrious tennis career, including two of his three individual wins at Wimbledon, from bankruptcy administrators.
Appearing in Southwark Crown Court in London on Thursday, Becker, who already faces 19 existing charges related to breach of legal obligations to disclose information, was struck with nine additional charges alleging that he hid some of the remains of his playing career to avoid being sold to settle debts.
One of the new accusations relates to his 1985 All England Club trophy, when he became the youngest men’s individual champion at Wimbledon at the age of 17 years and seven months, catapulting him to world fame.
The 52-year-old German, who was declared bankrupt in June 2017, came to court wearing a black face mask with the Stronger Together logo, a gray suit and a blue-and-white striped tie. He spoke only to confirm his name, deny the 28 charges and confirm that he understood that he would be arrested if he did not appear for the trial, scheduled for September 13 of next year.
The other awards he is accused of hiding are the 1985 and 1989 President’s Cup, a 1988 Davis Cup gold coin and a 1989 Davis Cup trophy, the 1989 Wimbledon trophy, the Open trophies. of Australia from 1991 and 1996 and a 1992 Olympic gold medal.
The indictment accuses Becker of hiding property from bankruptcy administrators, among other means, transferring sums of money to various people, including a total of 44,372.90 euros (£ 40,000) in two separate transactions from his ex-wife Barbara. Becker in 2017. The couple divorced in 2001.
He is also accused of, again in two separate transactions, transferring a total of € 105,497 to his now-separated wife, Sharlely Becker, in 2017. The couple separated in 2018.
Becker was charged last year with hiding assets, including a Chelsea flat and £ 1.2 million in cash from bankruptcy administrators, in a process that could lead to seven years in jail.
At a Westminster magistrates court hearing in September last year, the court heard that he owned a flat at Coleherne Court in Chelsea, west London, as well as two properties in Germany, which were undeclared between June. and October 2017. He also concealed the value of a £ 754,190 debt and a bank account with £ 1.2 million, plus 75,000 shares in the artificial intelligence company Breaking Data Corp, the court was told.
The 19 pre-existing charges consist of seven counts of concealing property, four counts of omitting statements related to bank accounts with JP Morgan Belgium and Julius Baer Guernsey, two counts of removal of property required by the receivership, five counts of not disclosing details of your equity and a charge for hiding debt.
Becker was the first German Wimbledon men’s singles champion and the first non-seeded winner.
The former world number one and six-time Grand Slam champion captured 49 singles titles from 77 finals during his 16 years as a professional.
He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003 and appears regularly as an expert commentator and summarizer on the BBC. He also coached current men’s world number one Novak Djokovic from 2013 to 2016, a period that yielded six Grand Slam titles.
