News Reader.info

Tennis star Boris Becker is facing the toughest match of his life. On Thursday, the three-time Wimbledon champion appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in London to deny claims that he

concealed a string of valuable holdings from UK insolvency officials handling his 2017 bankruptcy. If found guilty on all 19 charges heard in the courtroom, the six-time Grand Slam winner

faces the possibility of seven years in jail. "He has been charged with eight counts of concealment of property, five of failure to disclose property, four of material omissions in

relation to bank accounts, and two of removal of property," a spokesperson for the UK Insolvency Service confirmed to PEOPLE. The charges against Becker -- who appeared in court wearing

a black "Stronger Together" face mask -- relate to his alleged ownership of an apartment in the upscale Chelsea neighborhood of London, plus two additional properties in Germany,

reports _The Guardian_. German news outlet _Bild _reports the court also heard that Becker -- who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003 -- allegedly hid bank

accounts with JP Morgan in Belgium, Julius Baer in Guernsey and Volksbank Kraichgau in Germany from UK officials, at a time when he was legally bound to disclose his full financial details

as part of the bankruptcy deal. Becker is also accused of hiding close to $1 million in debt, plus 75,000 shares in the Artificial Intelligence company Breaking Data Corp, _The Guardian_

added. "When people enter into bankruptcy, they have to declare all their assets so that there's a true picture of what they own, what they don't, and what can be paid back to

their creditors," a UK legal expert tells PEOPLE. "The charges are around claims that Boris didn't provide a full picture of assets and property. Essentially, Boris was

bankrupt and it's all to do with concealing property from the official receiver." _WANT TO KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST CRIME COVERAGE? SIGN UP FOR_ PEOPLE'_S FREE TRUE CRIME

NEWSLETTER__ FOR BREAKING CRIME NEWS, ONGOING TRIAL COVERAGE AND DETAILS OF INTRIGUING UNSOLVED CASES._ Becker will next appear in court on Oct. 22 at a pre-trial hearing before a judge at

Southwark Crown Court in London. On Friday, Becker tweeted his desire to fight the charges until the end. "Innocent until proven guilty! I deny the accusations against me and will

defend myself with all legal means!" he wrote. "I believe in the British legal system and its representatives! My team will prove my innocence in due course!!!" Becker was

released on conditional bail at the close of Thursday's hearing and he's placed his passport in the care of his attorney, _Bild_ reports. He is now living in a luxury apartment in

Battersea, London.