Boris Becker faces jail time for flouting bankruptcy terms

Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker could be sent to jail when he is sentenced for flouting the terms of his 2017 bankruptcy.

The former world number one was earlier this month found guilty of transferring hundreds of thousands of pounds from his business account.

The 54-year-old was also found guilty of failing to declare a property in his hometown of Leimen in Germany.

Becker, presently a BBC commentator, was also convicted of hiding an $867,000 bank loan and 75,000 shares in a tech firm.

Each offence under the Insolvency Act, which include removal of property, two counts of failing to disclose estate and concealing debt, carries a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment.

Judge Deborah Taylor will sentence six-time Grand Slam champion Becker, who has a previous conviction for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany in 2002.

The sentencing will take place at Southwark Crown Court from midday on Friday.

Becker told jurors his $50-million career earnings were swallowed up by an expensive divorce to his first wife Barbara Becker, child maintenance payments and “expensive lifestyle commitments.”

The German national, who has lived in the UK since 2012, said he was “shocked” and “embarrassed” when he was declared bankrupt on June 21, 2017.

That was over an unpaid loan of more than $3.75 million on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.

He claimed he had cooperated with trustees tasked with securing his assets, even offering up his wedding ring, and relied on the advisers who managed his life.

However, Becker, who was supported in court by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro and eldest son Noah, was found guilty of four charges.

The court heard Becker received €1.13 million from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owned in Germany.

It was paid into a business account used as a “piggy bank” for his personal expenses.

Becker was found guilty of transferring €427,00 to nine recipients, including the accounts of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely ‘Lilly’ Becker, the mother of his fourth child.

He was further convicted of failing to declare a property in his home town of Leimen and hiding an €825,000 bank loan on the house.

There were also 75,000 shares in tech firm Breaking Data Corp.

(dpa/NAN)