New Delhi: A British court has sentenced former tennis star Boris Becker to two and a half years imprisonment after finding him guilty of charges related to the 2017 bankruptcy.
Former world number one and three-time Wimbledon champion Becker was convicted of four charges under the Bankruptcy Act by a jury at London's Southwark Crown Court. This included cases related to concealment of debt and failure to disclose assets.
According to reports, Boris Becker was declared bankrupt in June 2017 and following this, he was legally bound to disclose all his assets. But Baker had transferred funds worth thousands of dollars from his account to other people's accounts. It also included his ex-wife Barbara and Charley Lilly.
According to the Insolvency Service, the assets he concealed included US$4.5 million, which he transferred to third parties. This includes a property in Lehmann, Germany, and 75,000 shares to Breaking Data Corporation.
Boris Becker was acquitted of 20 charges earlier this month. This included nine cases of failure to hand over trophies and medals won during his illustrious tennis career. Baker told a jury that he did not know the whereabouts of his memorabilia, including two of his three Wimbledon men's singles trophies. However, Judge Deborah Taylor released Becker on conditional bail ahead of her sentence on Friday.
Former world number one Boris Becker told the jury how he had to pay a hefty sum after his divorce from his first wife, Barbara Baker. Payment for the child's future and expensive lifestyle commitments had to pay off his $50 million (£40 million) career earnings.
Baker said he was shocked and embarrassed when he was declared bankrupt in June 2017 over an unpaid debt of more than $3 million at his estate in Mallorca, Spain. Becker, who has lived in Britain since 2012, said he tried to secure his assets. Had collaborated with trustees, even offered his wedding ring, and relied on mentors who managed his life away from tennis.
But the former player, who was supported in court by his teammate and eldest son Noah, was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act.
Giving evidence, Baker said that he earned a huge amount of money during his career by paying cash for several properties. He coaches current world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic.
Baker, who lived in Monte Carlo and Switzerland before moving to Britain, said his financial commitments include his £22,000-a-month rented home in Wimbledon, south-west London.
The Swiss authorities were owed five million francs (about $5.1 million) and only one million euros separately when convicted of attempted tax evasion and tax evasion in Germany in 2002.
He also said the bad publicity hurt the brand Becker as he struggled to make enough money to pay off his debt. His lawyer, Jonathan Laidlaw, stated at the time of his bankruptcy that he was too reliant on and dependent on his advisors.
Becker shook the tennis world in 1985 when he became Wimbledon's youngest-ever men's singles champion at age 17 and repeated the feat the following year. His ferocious serve was popularly known as "Boom Boom" Baker. He won Wimbledon for the third time in 1989. He also won the Australian Open and the US Open twice during his illustrious career, becoming the top-ranked player in the world in 1991.
Becker turned to commentary after his retirement, playing a high-profile role on the BBC, but he returned to the court in 2013 to guide Djokovic, helping him to spend six more years before the pair split in 2016.
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