The former world number one tennis player, Boris Becker, is no longer in bankruptcy in the UK after a court lifted the suspension on Wednesday because fulfilled “his obligations”.
Becker has made the headlines over the years after he was declared bankrupt in June 2017, at the time, he owed creditors almost £50m over unpaid loans on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
Then in 2022, he was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court after he was accused of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets, including two Wimbledon trophies in order to avoid paying his debts.
He was handed a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion, he served eight months and was deported from the country to Germany upon his release in December 2022.
The German national is the youngest-ever winner of the men’s singles Wimbledon Championships title.
Back in February, he made an application to the Insolvency and Companies Court seeking a discharge from the bankruptcy order.
It was noted in a written judgment that Becker contended that he complied with his obligation as far as he has been able and he had acknowledged his mistakes for which he paid a heavy price when he was sentenced to prison.
He explained that he had “lost his assets and reputation”, and that he was unable to collect all the information asked for by the joint trustees as he had no funds for legal representation.
The joint trustees were successful in realising a number of assets that vested in the estate, including 81 items of memorabilia. However, the recoveries were insufficient to pay the creditors in full.
On Wednesday, Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Briggs said Becker has signed a statement of truth, engaged solicitors to ensure compliance with his obligation and entered a settlement agreement that benefits the joint trustees.
The judge ruled that the suspension against Becker should be lifted and he had fulfilled his obligations.
Becker had Yorkshire-based Lupton Fawcett Solicitors on for him while the joint trustees of his estate had City-firm Stephenson Harwood on for them.