Former tennis great Boris Becker today admitted to a German court that he failed to pay taxes in Germany during his illustrious career.
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Becker: admits he failed to pay taxes
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"I admit that I made a mistake 10 years ago and I know that I will have to pay the consequences for that," he said at the start of his trial for tax evasion in a Munich court.
State prosecutors said Becker, who retired from competitive tennis three years ago, had claimed he was living abroad in the tax haven of Monaco between 1991 and 1993 when he was actually living in Germany most of the time.
The 34-year-old could face a jail sentence of up to five years if found guilty, but legal experts have said that a Becker confession at the start of the trial could be seen by the court as a mitigating factor. Prosecutor Mr Matthias Musiol called for Becker to serve three and a half years in prison.
"I cannot be accused of hiding money or any other criminal acts," Becker said in his statement. "I stayed at times in a spartan flat in Munich between the autumn of 1991 and 1993 that had just a bed and a couch but didn't even have a refrigerator."
After several years of investigation, Becker was originally charged with withholding taxes from German authorities worth 10.4 million marks ($5 million).
Becker retired from competitive tennis after playing at Wimbledon one last time in 1999.
The court is expected to rule later today.