Becker ‘hid millions in bankruptcy inquiry’
BORIS Becker’s bankruptcy order has been extended by 12 years after he hid assets worth £4.5million, it emerged last night.
The former Wimbledon champion was declared bankrupt in 2017 over a debt of £3.34million to private bank Arbuthnot Latham and Co.
It then became clear he was being chased for millions more, with suggestions that he owed as much as £54million to creditors.
Becker, the fifth highest on-court earner in tennis history, had a duty to reveal the full extent of his remaining wealth before being made bankrupt so money could be returned to those he owed. But the Official
Receiver submitted a case to extend financial restrictions against the 51-year- old after discovering ‘undisclosed transactions occurring before and after the bankruptcy proceedings, totalling over £4.5million’.
After being caught, Becker agreed to live under a bankruptcy order for a further 12 years until 2031. He will be 63 when it expires.
Bankruptcy restrictions, which prevent a person from borrowing more than £500 and from being a company director, are usually lifted after a year if a person complies fully with financial investigators.
Doubts over his original financial declarations surfaced in March when the Daily Mail revealed he had taken up residence at a £ 5million penthouse overlooking the Thames. Spanning two floors, the threebedroom home boasts stunning views of the London skyline and costs around £10,000 a month to rent. It remains unclear if he still lives there.
Becker, who was recently spotted driving a £60,000 Mercedes, moved out of the Wimbledon mansion he shared with his second wife Lilly, 42, following their separation last year.
The three-time Wimbledon champion made around £100million from tennis but spent much of it on an extravagant lifestyle, buying sports cars and art. Divorce from his first wife Barbara and a payoff to the Russian model who gave birth to his daughter after a fling in 2000 is said to have cost him millions.
Becker works as an after-dinner speaker, with a starting price of £20,000, as well as acting as a commentator for the BBC and others.
In December he reluctantly agreed to auction memorabilia including trophies, racquets and even socks and sweat bands.
A spokesman for the Insolvency Service said yesterday: ‘Bankrupts have a duty to fully cooperate with their trustee and, where this has been frustrated, a bankruptcy restriction undertaking of commensurate length must reflect that conduct.’