Boris Becker has been accused of hiding his assets and “dishonest behavior” as his trial began in a London court.
The German tennis great is accused of failing to hand over all of his assets including his Wimbledon singles trophies before and after he was declared bankrupt in 2017. The 54-year-old is facing 24 counts under the Insolvency Act relating to the period from May to October 2017.
The former tennis champion, 54, was declared bankrupt in June 2017 at the London High Court after borrowing £3.5 million from private bankers Arbuthnot Latham & Co.
Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley was quoted saying Boris Becker “acted dishonestly with regards to a number of his assets”.
“The prosecution say Mr Becker did this both before and after the date of his bankruptcy agreement by not disclosing, not providing, or delivering up, or removing assets or things of value.”
The charges against the former tennis star include nine counts of not handing over trophies and awards and seven of concealing property valued at more than 1.5 million euros ($1.65 million) with the trial expected to last three weeks.
Under the terms of the bankruptcy order, he was bound to provide full disclosure of assets.
“The issues boil down to everyday issues of dishonesty and knowledge. That is what we say is at the heart of this case,” said the prosecutor.
Judge Deborah Taylor told the jury to leave aside any preconceptions and to ignore Becker’s celebrity status.
