Looking back over his career in the NTI newsroom, Billy is especially proud of the time his bulletins went bonkers over Boris Becker. So, you can imagine his delight when the ginger German once again hit the Bankruptcy court in Southwark this week. One of the more entertaining matters before the judge was the request by his Trustee that Boris gives up his trophies for sale, to pay off some of his accumulated debt. Clearly, the one trophy Boris wasn't prepared to give up to was Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, the one on his arm, who must have been particularly chuffed to hear that the second daftest Boris on the planet was prepared to sell his wedding ring to help pay his debts.
It was not clear if this ring had been given to him by his first wife, Barbara, or his second, Lilly (both of whom, it is alleged, have benefitted from their ex's secret beneficence), but it was very apparent such a generous gesture would make only a very tiny dent in a £3.5 million loan from private bank Arbuthnot Latham for a property in Mallorca which, it is alleged, is at the centre of his very public Bankruptcy proceedings.
So, Boris was back in Southwark having travelled all the way from his home in Battersea (which won't be cheap - just sayin'), having apparently hurriedly packed his clothes in the bags beneath his eyes, with Mark Ford of Smith & Williamson, his Trustee. It is not clear how Mr Ford met Boris, but the former's profile on S&W's website says that he has "considerable experience in the hotel and property sectors", so we wonder if he collided with Boris at Nobu in central London, when banging on the door of a closet which Boris was 'occupying' with Angela Ermakova conceiving Anna, who is now 22 and a "model". Of course she is.
Mr Ford explained that Boris became “emotional” when he was ordered to hand over trophies to pay a £3 million debt after being declared Bankrupt. This kind of adds up, as Boris is accused of concealing assets including his medals and trophies, two German properties, an interest in a luxury apartment in Chelsea, west London, and more than £1 million when he was made Bankrupt in 2017. He claimed he did not know where these trophies were, as well as saying he had no idea that he owned a house 'for decades' in Germany, but is always prepared to rummage around a closet to get a result.
One of the current issues appears to be Boris' advisor, Paul Appleton, about whom Mr Ford expressed serious reservations. The court also heard that Michael Bint, the deputy Official Receiver, who first dealt with Becker’s bankruptcy, also had concerns about Appleton’s role. This adds up, as maybe Mr Appleton distracted Boris sufficiently to cause him to "forget" he would get a 99 per cent share of a £2.5 million Chelsea apartment occupied by his model daughter, from a less than model conception, when she finished university.
For the dual-purpose of balance and incredulity Boris denies 24 charges under the Insolvency Act, including nine of failing to hand over his trophies to his Trustee, along with allegations of concealing property, removing property required by the receiver, failing to disclose details of his estate and concealing debt.
We have no idea where all of this is going; but - gloriously - the trial continues.
