Operation in London: Boris Becker faces seven years in prison

Perhaps the most famous photo from the life of Boris Becker, which is no less famous than the famous ones, was taken in the summer of 1985. At that time, Boris Becker was a largely unknown 17-year-old tennis player from the largely unknown Leimen. Surprisingly he won the biggest tennis tournament, the Grand Slam in the Wimbledon area of ​​London. When he was presented with a gold-plated cup 45 cm high, he put it on his head and grabbed it by the handles, the photographers pressed the trigger, and the cup looked good on him. Like all Wimbledon winners, he subsequently received a replica of the trophy with a height of about 34 cm. In the ensuing years, a few more were added, including cups, medals and other trophies.

This moment, the summer of 1985, rewrote the text of the life of Boris Becker. This now means the whereabouts of the 37-year-old Trophy will be an issue a few miles inland, in central London, at Southwark Crown Court from Monday.

24 counts, three weeks trial

Baker recently said he was “happy that the process has finally begun and the court will issue a verdict.” picture-Newspaper. “The past five years have been very long, the hardest years of my life.” 24 charges will be heard starting Monday, and the trial is scheduled to take three weeks.

The fundamental question is whether Becker hid assets after bankruptcy proceedings began against him in 2017. Specifically, it is said to relate to an apartment in Chelsea and property in Germany, just over €2 million, company shares, and bank accounts in Belgium and Guernsey – as well as Some awards and medals won. The list reads like browsing German tennis history: the 1992 Olympic gold medal in doubles with Michael Stitch, the 1989 Davis Cup, and the Australian Open winner’s awards in 1991 and 1996, among others.

Baker will, he said, “personally attempt to be able to refute the allegations on each of the 24 counts.” His lawyer is 64-year-old British lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw, a lawyer with experience in public interest cases. Laidlaw holds the title of Queen’s Counsel, an elite rank of solicitors in the UK, which is not only meant to signify his outstanding experience and abilities, but also means he can charge significantly higher fees. Baker said he believed in “English jurisdiction,” so he was nervous, but “don’t panic.”

Open the detail view

Becker has lived in London for many years and has worked as an expert and commentator for the BBC since 2002. Becker has made himself home in Wimbledon, his villa with pool and planetarium in the London area with zip code SW19 not far from the tennis court. A few years ago, in an interview with times He said he was very lucky to have England as his home, even though “people in Germany find it hard to accept”. Baker said at the time that he spoke English with his family at home.

But in court, he will have a translator to help out “with a word or two,” attorney Laidlaw said at a hearing a week ago. After all, there is a lot at stake: in the worst case, Baker faces up to seven years in prison.