Boris Becker's deportation: what his return to Germany means

Boris Becker has been released early from prison. What's next for the former German tennis pro?

His time in prison is up: Boris Becker left Britain's Huntercombe Prison in Oxfordshire on Thursday. After nearly seven months in prison, the 55-year-old's time behind bars came to an early end. Becker was immediately deported from Great Britain to Germany.

His homecoming has been in the press for days. Not only in this country. The former tennis star's early release from prison is also a big problem in England – for a simple reason: British tax money may have had to be used to deport the German citizen.

Another theory is that the tax money was never needed. Last week, reports from the Telegraph and Daily Mail raised another possibility: according to this, Boris Becker will leave the country on a private plane. British sources explained that the 55-year-old will have a special paid trip to Germany. Apparently because the Munich TV station agreed to exclusive rights to interview him.

TV special about Becker's return to Germany on ProSieben or Sat.1? The joint venture company ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE is based in Unterföhring near Munich. There is so far little evidence to suggest that the tennis star actually spoke about his eight-month prison sentence on television. Here you can read more about it. A two-part documentary has already been released on Apple TV+. The recordings were made before he was imprisoned.

But what will happen to him in Germany? Is he still at risk of insolvency proceedings here? Or does he have to abide by the terms of the probation?

The three-time Wimbledon winner was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison at his adopted home in London at the end of April. He hid assets worth millions from insolvency administrators. Under British law, Baker had to serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. By this account, the 55-year-old would not have been released from Huntercombe Prison until the end of July 2023 at the earliest after 15 months in prison.

But Boris Becker may have taken advantage of a circumstance he actually wanted to resolve in the past. In 2015, when asked if he wanted to become a British citizen, he said: “Eventually, I will definitely try.” However, because he had never done so, he could now go through fast-track procedures that would allow foreign prisoners to be deported more quickly. Because British prisons are considered overcrowded, space must be made available.

Baker's immediate release and deportation now requires a clear timeline. Lawyer Gul Pinar explained to the German News Agency: “He will be transferred from prison directly to the airport by the police.”

Usually, deportation prisoners depart on scheduled flights and land in Germany in Frankfurt am Main, according to the expert, who is a member of the Criminal Law Committee of the German Bar Association (DAV). But things are different when traveling by private plane. Obviously, the destination can then be chosen freely.

Boris Becker appears to be a free man after being deported from British custody. “You cannot be prosecuted several times for the same offense or crime,” lawyer Nathalie von Westinghausen told the German news agency. “Behind this is the legal principle of ‘not being guilty twice’, that is, the prohibition of double punishment.”

After his deportation, Baker will likely not be allowed to enter Great Britain for a long time, even though his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro lives there. According to the Mirror newspaper, the entry ban applies at least for the duration of his actual sentence, that is, until the end of October 2024. Lawyer Pienaar told the German Press Agency that the period is usually longer and amounts to at least five years. Years.