German tennis legend Boris Becker is in some very hot water legally in the United Kingdom, according to reports in ABC News and various other outlets. Becker is in trouble for financial moves he made after declaring bankruptcy, moves that have hung him up on four different charges under Britain’s Insolvency Act.
Those charges include removal of property, concealing debt, and two counts of failing to disclose estate. The charges come after Becker declared bankruptcy in the summer of 2017, after which he allegedly transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars into accounts belonging to two exes: ex-wife Barbara Becker and estranged wife Lilly Becker. He also reportedly failed to disclose property in Germany as well as an $895,000 bank loan, plus a stake in a tech firm.
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The charges are serious, and Becker could apparently face up to seven years in prison, but they’re not even close to being the only charges Becker was facing. He was acquitted on 20 other charges, including allegations that he failed to properly disclose awards from his long tennis career, like his Wimbledon trophies and his Olympic gold medal.
In court, Becker said he’d earned about $50 million during his time in professional tennis. Unfortunately he claimed his “expensive lifestyle commitments” and his “expensive divorce” swallowed most of the fortune up after he retired. Eventually, he took out a $5 million loan in 2013 and another $1.6 million loan the following year, and his failure to pay back these loans were what led to his having to declare bankruptcy.
Becker denies all the charges, saying that he was acting in good faith and following financial expertise in all his business moves after declaring bankruptcy. He also said in court that years of bad publicity took their toll on his own personal brand:
“(It is) very difficult when you are bankrupt and in the headlines every week for it … (It is) very difficult to make a lot of money with my name.”
Becker is now out on bail until his sentencing hearing, scheduled for April 29th.