For days, the fate of Boris Becker has been on trial in London. On Tuesday, the public prosecutor’s office made its plea. The former tennis star from Leimen is facing several years in prison.
In the London criminal trial against Boris Becker, the prosecution is convinced of the German ex-tennis star’s guilt. “The only verdict you can reach on any count is: ‘guilty’,” prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley told the jury in her closing remarks on Tuesday. She did not call for a specific sentence – as is customary in Britain. First, the jury must decide on the question of guilt, then the judge will determine the sentence. Theoretically, Becker could face up to seven years in prison.
Multiple concealed accounts
Becker intentionally failed to disclose all of his valuables to his bankruptcy trustee, Chalkley said. “It is not plausible that Mr Becker would not know where his trophies are.” The 54-year-old had also deliberately concealed several accounts or denied owning real estate, he said. Becker had denied the accusations and stressed that he had been wrongly advised. He himself had no idea about financial matters.
“Boris Becker is trying to blame everyone for not disclosing: his advisers, his lawyers, even (his insolvency practitioners) – for not asking the right questions,” Chalkley said. “He knew he was under a duty (to disclose) and not his advisers.” Not one adviser admitted complicity in court, not one document suggested such a view, the prosecutor said. Moreover, Becker had not even asked his insolvency administrators whether he had to state things, she said. “There is only one constant in this case, that is the man with the knowledge,” Chalkley said. This, he said, is Becker.
Next, Becker’s defence lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw addressed the jury. He is expected to finish his remarks later on Tuesday.