Boris Becker does not own any property after selling off assets he didn’t know he owned, court hears

Tennis legend Boris Becker does not own any property after selling off assets he did not know he owned to pay off his debt, a court heard today.

Becker, 54, was declared bankrupt on June 21, 2017, and is on trial accused of concealing assets in the midst of his bankruptcy proceedings, including two of his three Wimbledon men’s singles trophies, a Chelsea flat, two German properties and more than £1million.

He is also accused of not disclosing a £620,000 debt as well as his stake of 75,000 shares in artificial intelligence firm Breaking Data Corp after he was declared bankrupt in 2017.

Becker, who won 49 singles titles in 77 finals over 16 years, denies 24 charges under the Insolvency Act.

Other awards he is accused of failing to hand over after he was declared bankrupt are his 1992 Olympic gold medal, Australian Open trophies from 1991 and 1996, the President’s Cup from 1985 and 1989, his 1989 Davis Cup Trophy and a Davis Cup Gold Coin which he won in 1988.

The sports star turned commentator gave evidence today at London’s Southwark Crown Court dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and was occasionally assisted by a German interpreter.

One of the properties prosecutors say Becker is concealing is a villa in Leimen that he financially assisted his father in building.

Asked about his contribution, Becker said: ‘I spoke to my mother last week.

‘She mentioned in the region of 2 million Deutschmarks.’

Becker said that he had not initially declared the property to the bankruptcy trustees because he did not understand the nature of his interest in it.

‘Since my mother was living there full-time I always thought she had as much interest in it as I had,’ he said.

Jurors heard that in the lead-up to being declared bankrupt, Becker attempted to raise money to pay back his creditors.

This included him trying to raise money against the luxury property in early 2017 or late 2016, the court heard.

Jonathan Laidlaw, QC, defending, asked: ‘Had you ever contemplated the sale of the property?’

‘No, I didn’t,’ replied Becker.

Jurors were told that Becker’s 86-year-old mother Elvira, who still lives in the property to this day, has a lifelong residence right.

Becker admitted he had taken a mortgage against the property but it was ‘absolutely not’ his intention to conceal it from the trustees.

Prosecutors said Becker also sought to conceal a second German property, namely a flat, also in Leiman.

The court heard Becker’s architect late father built the block of flats in 1973 and had ownership of two flats in it.

He told the court that after the family moved to the villa he believed the ownership of the villa remained with his father until he passed away in 1999.

Asking about the period leading up to the bankruptcy, Mr Laidlaw said: ‘What did you understand were the arrangements in respect of the flat and your mother’s relationship with it?’

Becker replied: ‘My mother is very happy to have money from tenants every month.

‘She is an older lady, not working anymore, that was one of the ways of receiving money.’

Mr Laidlaw asked: ‘Did you at any stage believe you had ownership or any interest in this flat in the block of flats your father build all those years ago?’

‘Absolutely not,’ said Becker.

Becker told the court that he was ‘surprised’ when the bankruptcy trustees informed him he did, in fact, own the properties, and said he did not know his parents put it in his name.

Jurors heard that Becker pleaded with trustees to allow associates of his to buy the properties rather than them being put on the open market.

‘It was already embarrassing enough that I am bankrupt’, he said.

‘I didn’t want this in the German news.’

Becker is also accused of concealing a ‘reversionary interest’ in a property in Chelsea where his daughter Anna lives.

Jurors were told a trust for Becker’s daughter was established after his much-publicised ‘briefest of relationships’ with her mother.