Boris Becker, 55, a German tennis champion, has been released from a British jail, the government said on Thursday, and will now be deported from the United Kingdom back to his own country.
In April, Becker, a three-times Wimbledon champion, was sent to jail for two years and six months by a court in London for charges related to secretly keeping assets worth $3.1 million to avoid paying his debts, post his bankruptcy.
His estate on the Spanish island of Majorca was the subject of an outstanding debt of more than £3 million when he was declared bankrupt in June 2017. He owed creditors £50 million as of that time. Becker, who has resided in the UK since 2012, was informed by a judge at Southwark Crown Court in south London that he would serve half of his term in prison.
“Any foreign national convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity,” the Home Office said in a statement and declined to comment directly on Becker’s case.
Becker had been convicted earlier as well, in 2002, for tax evasion in Germany, which resulted in a suspended prison sentence for him.
The former tennis legend claimed his first Wimbledon title in 1985 at 17 becoming the youngest and first dormant player to claim the men’s singles title. After his first victory, he bagged two more Wimbledon titles. He is also a six-times Grand Slam champion.
Becker had rejected all the charges in connection with the London court hearings, stating he had complied with the bankruptcy proceedings – he even offered his wedding ring – and had relied on his advisers.
