Did bankrupt Becker give £120,000 in backhanders to his wife AND his ex?
BORIS Becker illegally gave money to his wife and his ex-wife to evade bankruptcy rules, a court heard yesterday.
The 53-year-old tennis legend earned a fortune from a career that started with a Wimbledon title at the age of 17 and included another five grand slam singles trophies.
However he was declared bankrupt in London four years ago after running through tens of millions of pounds.
Southwark Crown Court was told he squirrelled money away following the bankruptcy order to avoid paying his creditors.
Becker allegedly hid the proceeds from the sale of a £3million car dealership by transferring money to his second wife Sharlely ‘Lilly’, who he separated from three years ago. The 44-year-old former model is said to have received around £90,000. Barbara, his 54-year-old first wife and another an ex-model, was said to have been given £30,000 when he was made bankrupt.
Becker is facing trial for concealing assets including his first Wimbledon singles trophy, which he won as an unseeded teenager in 1985. The charges cover another eight sporting gongs, among them his 1992 Olympic gold medal and Australian Open trophies from 1991 and 1996. He is also accused of concealing ownership of a flat in Chelsea, two German properties and approximately £1.8million when he filed for bankruptcy.
The German is further said to have hidden his holding of 75,000 shares in Breaking Data Corp, an artificial intelligence firm. And he is alleged to have failed to declare bank accounts registered in Belgium and Guernsey.
Becker did not appear for the remote court hearing in south London yesterday.
He is required to reside at his £5million Battersea penthouse with sweeping views of the Thames and inform the Insolvency Service before travelling abroad.
He denies seven charges of concealing property, four counts of omitting statements, two counts of removing property required by the Official Receiver, five counts of failing to disclose details of his estate and one count of concealing debt. His trial is due to take place in September next year.
Now a BBC commentator, Becker won Wimbledon three times and collected 49 singles titles in a career spanning more than two decades. He is estimated to have earned more than £100million through deals with companies including Coca-Cola, Mercedes and Puma.
The former world number one was declared bankrupt in June 2017, and last year faced claims that he had failed to fully declare his estate to the receiver.
The High Court imposed restrictions on his finances for the next 11 years after the Insolvency Service raised concerns over ‘undisclosed’ transactions.