The jury decided on Friday that the 54-year-old German had withheld parts of his assets from his insolvency administrator. Theoretically, Becker could face a prison sentence.
The sentence is to be announced on April 29th. Becker can still appeal the verdict.
Becker was declared bankrupt on June 21, 2017. The jury has now concluded that he failed to disclose all of his possessions on four out of 24 counts, contrary to legal requirements. The allegations involved bank accounts and real estate, as well as several trophies, including the Wimbledon trophy from Becker’s first win at the all-important Grand Slam tournament in 1985.
Becker stated that he had not dealt with financial issues
The former exceptional athlete had strictly rejected the allegations. Becker testified in court that he had neither the time nor the expertise and therefore always left financial matters to his advisors. His attorney Jonathan Laidlaw had portrayed him as naive and lazy. He was also not informed in good time what obligations he had after his bankruptcy.
Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley did not believe his statements. Becker intentionally transferred money to other accounts in order to prevent his insolvency administrators from accessing it. He also knew that he was registered as the owner of several properties, she said in the process.
Source: Nachrichten
