As of: 04/29/2022 5:02 p.m
Former tennis star Boris Becker has been imprisoned for two years and six months. A jury had previously found the three-time Wimbledon winner guilty of delaying bankruptcy, among other things.
A court in London has sentenced former tennis star Boris Becker to two and a half years in prison. Becker was found guilty on four out of 24 counts three weeks ago by a jury at Southwark Crown Court.
The three-time Wimbledon winner was declared bankrupt in 2017 and then had to disclose his assets. However, the judges came to the conclusion that Becker concealed ownership of a property in his hometown of Leimen, illegally transferred large sums to other accounts and withheld shares in an artificial intelligence company.
Becker had always rejected these allegations. Becker was acquitted on other points, including the trophies of the six-time Grand Slam winner.
Convicted of tax evasion in 2002
Before the sentence was announced – which began with a delay – the representative of the prosecution had the floor. Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley said Becker committed a serious breach of trust. She also pointed out that he had been convicted of tax evasion in Germany.
Judge Deborah Taylor, who is also presiding over the trial against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, repeatedly pointed out during the court hearing that Becker had been sentenced to probation and a fine in court proceedings for tax evasion in 2002 – and thus narrowly missed a prison term.
At that time, a court in Munich had sentenced Becker to two years’ imprisonment on probation and a fine of 500,000 euros for tax evasion amounting to around 1.7 million euros.
Defense asked for clemency
Prosecutor Chalkley did not name the sentence, but made it clear that she did not believe that a suspended sentence was sufficient. According to Chalkley, the fact that he had transferred large sums of money the day after the court-ordered bankruptcy was similar to money laundering. Becker’s attorney Jonathan Laidlaw, however, asked for clemency. The transfers were payments to his ex-wife and his wife Lilly and his children, who were dependent on him. Laidlaw acknowledged that Becker broke the law. But it is not a serious case. His client was in a desperate financial situation.
Big rush to court
The punishment for the tennis legend was expected with great excitement. Becker was accompanied by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro. According to the news agency, there were numerous photographers and cameramen in front of the court, and a long queue formed inside hours before the announcement began. Due to the crowd, the meeting was moved to a larger room.
With information from Gabi Biesinger, ARD Studio London