Boris Becker: Former tennis star faces prison after being found guilty of bankruptcy charges
Former tennis star Boris Becker has been convicted in Britain of four counts, under the bankruptcy law, related to his bankruptcy in 2017.
The former world number one was accused of hiding assets worth millions of pounds to avoid paying his debts.
Becker was declared bankrupt in June 2017 due to an unpaid loan, amounting to more than 3 million pounds, against a property he had in Mallorca, Spain.
Baker, 54, was acquitted of 20 other charges in a London court on Friday.
He was acquitted of nine counts of failing to hand over trophies and medals he won in his tennis career, including two of the men's singles titles at Wimbledon.
Becker, a six-time Grand Slam champion, told reporters outside the court that he would not comment on the ruling.
He was found guilty of transferring hundreds of thousands of pounds from his bankruptcy business account, of not declaring ownership of a property in Germany, and of hiding debts of 825,000 euros.
He could face a maximum prison sentence of seven years for each count.
Baker told the jury that his $50 million career earnings were spent on a costly divorce from his first wife in 2001, child support payments and "luxury lifestyle commitments", including his rented home in Wimbledon, southwest London, which is His monthly rent is £22,000.
The former tennis star told the court that he was "shocked" and "embarrassed" when he was declared bankrupt, and that he cooperated with those charged with securing his assets, including handing over his wedding ring.
Becker, a German citizen who has lived in the UK since 2012, was acquitted of not advertising a second property in Germany and of wanting a £2.5m apartment in the Chelsea area.
During the trial, Baker said he had made "a lot of money" in his career, paying cash for several properties, but that his income had "fallen dramatically" after he retired in 1999.
His attorney, Jonathan Laidlaw QC, said that at the time of Baker's bankruptcy he trusted and relied on his advisors.
At the start of the trial, Judge Deborah Taylor ordered the jury, made up of 11 men and women, to disregard Baker's fame.
"You should treat him the same way you would treat someone you've never heard of and who has no fame," she said.
