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Tennis champion Boris Becker has denied a number of criminal charges for his bankruptcy, as he was told he could face seven years in jail.
The 52-year-old former German tennis star, who was declared bankrupt in June 2017, is accused of failing to fulfill obligations to disclose information.
Becker, who was elegantly dressed in a suit and red tie, spoke in a clear and strong voice as he confirmed his personal details at Westminster Magistrates Court in London.
He pleaded not guilty to 19 counts of failing to disclose money and property between May 2017 and June 2017. Becker denied seven counts alleging that, as bankrupt, he concealed assets from his trustee or trustee and pleaded not guilty to one charge that he concealed a debt. He also denied two counts of theft of assets that had to be delivered to the trustee.
Becker has pleaded not guilty to one count of not disclosing the disposition of the property and to four counts alleging that he did not disclose details of his estate.
He also denied an accusation that he concealed a debt and four counts of omission on the state of affairs related to bank accounts with JP Morgan Belgium and Julius Baer Guernsey. It is also alleged that he concealed his stake in shares in the artificial intelligence company Breaking Data Corp.
He allegedly had a flat on Coleherne Court in Chelsea, London, which was not declared, along with two other German properties.
Becker, who lives in London, is being prosecuted by the Insolvency Service. Bankruptcy issues were discussed at the London High Court hearings. Chief Justice Emma Arbuthnot conditionally rescued Becker to appear in London’s Southwark Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on October 22.
Becker was a teenage tennis phenomenon when, in 1985, he became Wimbledon’s youngest men’s singles champion at the age of 17 years and seven months. He was the first German champion of the tournament and the first unseeded to win, as he was ranked 20th.
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 tennis player.
He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003.
