Tennis idol Boris Becker was found guilty of four out of 24 charges in his trial for delaying insolvency.
A London court found the 54-year-old guilty on Friday, among other things, of non-disclosure of possessions and concealment of debts.
Judge Deborah Taylor is scheduled to announce the sentence against the three-time Wimbledon winner on April 29. Becker faces a prison sentence.
Prosecutor Chalkley: Becker deliberately concealed his possessions
Becker, six-time Grand Slam winner, had always denied the allegations. As a tennis pro, he once excelled as an attacking player, defeating his opponents with his typical serve and volley. In courtroom number 3, however, he found himself on the defensive from the start.
Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley sharply accused the former world number one, who is accompanied daily by his partner Lilian De Carvalho Monteiro and in the crucial phase by his son Noah, in a trial that was upsetting for him. He intentionally hid his true assets and the only verdict on each charge could only be “guilty.” The jury followed the prosecutor.
In addition to the alleged withholding of his Wimbledon trophies and other trophies in nine cases, the allegations revolved around money from the sale of Mercedes car dealerships. Real estate holdings that were supposedly kept secret were also put on the table, shares and bank balances. Becker is said to have transferred large sums to the accounts of his former wives Barbara and Lilly Becker, among other things.
“This man is hopeless with money”
In the defense, Becker’s lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw drew the picture of a man who has led an extraordinary life since his first Wimbledon victory in 1985 as a 17-year-old and is overwhelmed in financial aspects. “This man is hopeless with money,” he said.
Becker was too trusting and dependent on his advisors. However, he denied intentional deception and the accusation that the authorities had “duped”.
Becker had repeatedly come into contact with the judiciary since the end of his career in 1999. In 2002 he was sentenced to probation and a fine in Munich for tax evasion.
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