Tennis legend Boris Becker has appeared in court at Southwark Crown Court in London, accused of failing to hand over his trophies to help clear unpaid debts.
Becker had been declared as bankrupt in 2017 due to a large debt owing to a bank. He is accused of failing to comply with obligations of disclosing information to officials.
A 28 count indictment mentions all of Wimbledon trophies and his Australian open trophies from 1991 and 96.
The German national who is now 52, has also been accused of failing to disclose over £1m pounds held in Bank Accounts as well as properties, both in the UK and abroad.
The Court also heard how hundreds of thousands of pounds was also transferred into other accounts belonging to his former wife Barbara Becker and his estranged wife Sharlely Becker. There is also the allegation that he failed to disclose information of shareholdings in a company called Breaking Data Corp.
Mr Becker was released on bail with a trial scheduled for next September. The trial is expected to last up to 4 weeks. The Prosecutor on behalf of the crown Rebecca Chalkley advised Becker may also face further charges at a later date.
Defending for Mr Becker Jonathan Caplan said “He is determined to face and contest these charges and restore his reputation in relation to the allegations made against him”
In a glittering Tennis career, Becker was the World’s Number One for a period of time and won 49 singles titles during a 16 year career. He is more recently famed for being a commentator for the BBC for tennis tournaments.
