CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M; BORIS BECKER INC.
Tennis: Retired star Becker used business account as 'piggy bank', court hears
Former Wimbledon Boris Becker arriving with his partner Lillian de Carvalho at Southwark Crown Court on March 22, 2022.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
MAR 23, 2022, 12:35 AM SGT
LONDON (AFP) - Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker used his business account as a "piggy bank" to pay for luxury shopping expenses and school fees, a British court was told on Tuesday (March 22).
Becker is on trial charged with 24 offences relating to his 2017 bankruptcy over a £3.5 million (S$6.3 million) loan from private bank Arbuthnot Latham for a property in Spain.
Despite his financial difficulties, the 54-year-old German spent hundreds of pounds at luxury London department store Harrods and treated himself to designer clothes, a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London heard.
The former world No. 1 is alleged to have hidden €1.13 million (S$1.7 million) from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owned in Germany, which was paid into his Boris Becker Private Office (BBPOL) account.
"It is the prosecution case that Mr Becker used the BBPOL sterling account as an extension of his own account, effectively as his own piggy bank, for everyday personal expenses such as school fees for the children and suchlike," said prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley.
She said payments in 2017 included £643 to Polo Ralph Lauren, £7,600 for school fees and £976 to Harrods.
Jurors heard Becker paid substantial sums to ex-wife Barbara Becker, estranged wife Sharlely "Lilly" Becker and a friend.
Becker was also said to have transferred €300,000 to his own account, while other funds went into an account he jointly held with his son Noah.
The German is also accused of failing to hand over assets including his 1985 and 1989 Wimbledon trophies and his Australian Open silverware from 1991 and 1996.
He allegedly failed to declare two German properties, as well as his interest in a London flat, and hid a €825,000 bank loan.
Becker, who won 49 singles titles during his 16-year playing career, including six Grand Slam trophies, is being supported in court by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro.
He denies all the charges against him, which include nine counts of failing to deliver trophies and other awards.
The trial is expected to last for up to three weeks.
MAR 23, 2022, 12:35 AM SGT
LONDON (AFP) - Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker used his business account as a "piggy bank" to pay for luxury shopping expenses and school fees, a British court was told on Tuesday (March 22).
Becker is on trial charged with 24 offences relating to his 2017 bankruptcy over a £3.5 million (S$6.3 million) loan from private bank Arbuthnot Latham for a property in Spain.
Despite his financial difficulties, the 54-year-old German spent hundreds of pounds at luxury London department store Harrods and treated himself to designer clothes, a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London heard.
The former world No. 1 is alleged to have hidden €1.13 million (S$1.7 million) from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owned in Germany, which was paid into his Boris Becker Private Office (BBPOL) account.
"It is the prosecution case that Mr Becker used the BBPOL sterling account as an extension of his own account, effectively as his own piggy bank, for everyday personal expenses such as school fees for the children and suchlike," said prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley.
She said payments in 2017 included £643 to Polo Ralph Lauren, £7,600 for school fees and £976 to Harrods.
Jurors heard Becker paid substantial sums to ex-wife Barbara Becker, estranged wife Sharlely "Lilly" Becker and a friend.
Becker was also said to have transferred €300,000 to his own account, while other funds went into an account he jointly held with his son Noah.
The German is also accused of failing to hand over assets including his 1985 and 1989 Wimbledon trophies and his Australian Open silverware from 1991 and 1996.
He allegedly failed to declare two German properties, as well as his interest in a London flat, and hid a €825,000 bank loan.
Becker, who won 49 singles titles during his 16-year playing career, including six Grand Slam trophies, is being supported in court by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro.
He denies all the charges against him, which include nine counts of failing to deliver trophies and other awards.
The trial is expected to last for up to three weeks.
BACKGROUNDER
At the time of his bankruptcy in June 2017, Boris Becker's debts were estimated at up to £50 million.
PHOTO: BORIS BECKER/TWITTER
PUBLISHED
MAR 21, 2022
LONDON (AFP) - Boris Becker goes on trial in London on Monday (March 21) over charges relating to his bankruptcy - the latest twist in the former Wimbledon champion's troubled post-playing career.
The German will stand trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of concealing his Wimbledon and Australian Open trophies, several properties and around £1.8 million (S$3.21 million).
At the time of his bankruptcy in June 2017, his debts were estimated at up to £50 million.
The 54-year-old, a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, faces a maximum of seven years in prison if he is found guilty.
The court was told in preliminary hearings that Becker owned a flat in Chelsea, London, as well as two properties in Germany, which were undeclared between June and October 2017.
He is accused of removing hundreds of thousands of pounds by transferring it to other accounts, including to former wife Barbara Becker and estranged wife Sharlely Becker.
Becker also hid 75,000 shares in the AI firm Breaking Data Corp, the court was told.
He denies seven charges of concealing property, two counts of removing property required by the receiver, five counts of failing to disclose details of his estate and one count of concealing debt.
He also denies nine counts of failing to disclose the trophies.
Becker, who lives in London, will use an interpreter when giving evidence in a trial expected to last three weeks, even though his barrister admits his English is "very good".
It is yet another curious chapter in the life of one of tennis' most troubled personalities.
Aged just 17, Becker burst onto the scene in 1985 when he became Wimbledon's youngest singles champion and the first unseeded player to lift the trophy at the All England Club.
Becker's dynamic play and boyish enthusiasm - best captured in his penchant for spectacular diving volleys - made him the darling of Wimbledon crowds.
PUBLISHED
MAR 21, 2022
LONDON (AFP) - Boris Becker goes on trial in London on Monday (March 21) over charges relating to his bankruptcy - the latest twist in the former Wimbledon champion's troubled post-playing career.
The German will stand trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of concealing his Wimbledon and Australian Open trophies, several properties and around £1.8 million (S$3.21 million).
At the time of his bankruptcy in June 2017, his debts were estimated at up to £50 million.
The 54-year-old, a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, faces a maximum of seven years in prison if he is found guilty.
The court was told in preliminary hearings that Becker owned a flat in Chelsea, London, as well as two properties in Germany, which were undeclared between June and October 2017.
He is accused of removing hundreds of thousands of pounds by transferring it to other accounts, including to former wife Barbara Becker and estranged wife Sharlely Becker.
Becker also hid 75,000 shares in the AI firm Breaking Data Corp, the court was told.
He denies seven charges of concealing property, two counts of removing property required by the receiver, five counts of failing to disclose details of his estate and one count of concealing debt.
He also denies nine counts of failing to disclose the trophies.
Becker, who lives in London, will use an interpreter when giving evidence in a trial expected to last three weeks, even though his barrister admits his English is "very good".
It is yet another curious chapter in the life of one of tennis' most troubled personalities.
Aged just 17, Becker burst onto the scene in 1985 when he became Wimbledon's youngest singles champion and the first unseeded player to lift the trophy at the All England Club.
Becker's dynamic play and boyish enthusiasm - best captured in his penchant for spectacular diving volleys - made him the darling of Wimbledon crowds.
Tennis: Boris Becker accused of failing to hand over Wimbledon trophies
Tennis: Boris Becker claims diplomatic immunity in bankcruptcy case
Steep decline
He successfully defended his Wimbledon title a year later, thrashing world No. 1 Ivan Lendl in straight sets in the final.
Becker's ferocious serve led to the nickname 'Baby Boom Boom' and 'Der Bomber'.
In 1989, Becker won Wimbledon for the third time and claimed his first US Open title just months later.
His long chase to become world No. 1 paid off in 1991 when he won the Australian Open for the first time, beating Lendl in the final to move to the top of the rankings.
Becker's greatest moment would prove to be the start of his steep decline.
Prone to emotional outbursts on the court, he frequently lost matches that were in his grasp and earned numerous fines for smashing his racket.
Those tantrums were public displays of the volatile personality that made it difficult for Becker to stay at the top of his game.
By 1993, he was embroiled in tax problems with the German government, while his last Wimbledon final ended in defeat by Pete Sampras in 1995.
Becker lifted his final Grand Slam title at the 1996 Australian Open before retiring three years later, having won 49 singles titles.
He kept in touch with tennis as a television commentator and served as Novak Djokovic's coach from 2013 to 2016, helping the Serb successfully challenge Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's dominance.
But his private life was frequently in turmoil, featuring marriage splits and a bizarre incident when he claimed to be the Central African Republic's attache for sports, culture and humanitarian affairs to the European Union.
Tennis: Bankrupt Boris Becker pleads for help in hunt for missing trophies
Becker's lawyer argued the role gave him diplomatic immunity from being pursued for further debt payments, but he later dropped the claim.
In 2002, a court in Munich sentenced Becker to a two-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of €300,000 (S$450,000) for tax evasion of around €1.7 million.
He was declared bankrupt five years ago, setting in motion a chain of events that leaves the tennis icon fighting to avoid a lengthy spell behind bars
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