Boris Becker is facing a possible prison sentence after a London court found him guilty of four offences under the Insolvency Act.
The six-time grand slam champion, 54, was accused of concealing assets worth millions and giving officials the “runaround” over the whereabouts of several trophies after he was declared bankrupt in June 2017.
Becker, whose financial ruin was triggered by his failure to repay a bank loan of almost £4m on his estate in Mallorca, as well as a £1.2m loan at 25% interest from the British businessman John Caudwell, was acquitted of a further 20 charges by jurors at Southwark crown court.
The German, a high-profile TV pundit and former coach of world No 1 Novak Djokovic, became the youngest Wimbledon men’s singles champion in history when he won the first of three titles at the All England Club as a 17-year-old in 1985. The victory catapulted Becker into the global spotlight and, over the course of a career that brought 49 titles, including a US Open and two Australian Open crowns, he went on to earn roughly £38m from prize money and endorsements.
Following his retirement in 1999, however, Becker’s income “reduced dramatically”, he told the court. In 2001, he was involved in an “expensive divorce” from Barbara Becker that included maintenance payments to the couple’s two sons, Noah and Elias. Becker also agreed a deal that included a £2.5m apartment in Chelsea to support his daughter, Anna Ermakova.
A rented house in Wimbledon that cost £22,000 a month was among his “extensive lifestyle commitments”.
The former No 1 was found guilty of concealing £950,000 he made from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership in Germany, which he paid into a business account that he used for personal expenses.
Becker was also found guilty of distributing £350,000 to recipients including his former wives Barbara and Sharlely “Lilly” Kerssenberg, concealing his ownership of a £1.8m villa in the German town of Leimen, where he was born, and of hiding an €825,000 (£689,000) debt and 75,000 shares in Breaking Data Corp.
Jonathan Laidlaw QC, Becker’s barrister, suggested his client had been badly advised. “Some of those advisers were offering genuine good advice intended to be in the defendant’s best interest – others, as may be the way of the world, may have simply wanted a slice of the pie his fame and fortune offered,” said Laidlaw.
However, Rebecca Chalkley for the prosecution said the responsibility lay with Becker, arguing that he had tried to “hide behind his advisers”. Chalkley also told jurors it was “simply not credible” that Becker did not know the whereabouts of trophies that had “defined his career”.
“Ask yourself if the reason for this is that Boris Becker knew they were safely tucked away and therefore there would be no information about where they were,” said Chalkley.
Becker, who could face up to seven years in jail for each of the four counts on which he was found guilty, has been bailed ahead of a sentencing hearing on 29 April.
“Today’s verdict confirms that Boris Becker failed to comply with his legal obligation to declare significant assets in his bankruptcy,” said Dean Beale, chief executive of the Insolvency Service.
“This conviction serves as a clear warning to those who think they can hide their assets and get away with it. You will be found out and prosecuted.”