Boris Becker, the former world number one tennis player and Wimbledon champion, insisted he has a genuine diplomatic passport from the Central African Republic after officials dismissed it as a fake. The retired German tennis star, who claims his role as an attache to the EU gives him diplomatic immunity from bankruptcy proceedings in the UK, told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "I have received this passport from the ambassador. "I have spoken to the president on many occasions. It was an official inauguration. I believe the documents they are giving me must be right." The three-time Wimbledon champion has been served with a series of denials from CAR officials about the issue. CAR's foreign minister Charles Armel Doubane, in comments to Radio Ndeke-Luka, rejected the passport and presidential spokesman Albert Yaloke Mokpeme said the head of state never appointed Becker to the post.<doc-sep>TENNIS legend Boris Becker's claim to have diplomatic immunity from bankruptcy is allegedly based on a FAKE passport. The 50-year-old, who first won Wimbledon when he was just 17, faced bankruptcy proceedings last year in relation to money he allegedly owes to a London-based private bank. 5 Becker, 50, faced bankruptcy proceedings last year in relation to money he allegedly owes to a London-based private bank Credit: Getty - Contributor However his lawyers claimed that after being appointed to a position by the European Union for sporting, cultural and humanitarian affairs by the Central African Republic in April, he was immune from any legal proceedings. The only way he could be prosecuted, it was claimed, is with the consent of both Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and his counterpart in Bangui. As a result the bankruptcy was due to be discharged on Tuesday, but that has now been put on hold following claims that a diplomatic passport produced in his defence is a fake. "The diplomatic passport that he has is a fake," CAR Foreign Ministry chief of staff Cherubin Moroubama said today. 5 Prof Faustin-Archange Touadera, president of the Central African Republic, and Boris Becker in Brussels Credit: Twitter 5 Boris Becker tweeted about his new role in April this year Credit: Twitter It is claimed that the passport serial number corresponds with a batch of passports that were stolen in 2014. Judge Sebastian Prentis told the High Court on Monday that lawyers acting for the bankruptcy trustees claim Mr Becker has not cooperated fully with them by not providing "full and accurate information" about his assets. The judge said the allegation relates to assets including two German properties, a property in London, an interest in three Mercedes dealerships and various tennis trophies and memorabilia. Mr Becker's barrister Ben Emmerson QC said his client may wish to apply for an injunction to block a sale of trophies, due to be held at the end of July, as it would be "irreversible". 5 The 50-year-old first won Wimbledon when he was just 17 Credit: Getty - Contributor Judge Prentis said there would be a directions hearing some time after October 5, to discuss how the case would proceed. Previously the judge told the court he received information from the Central African Republic's embassy in Brussels that Mr Becker holds a diplomatic passport which is valid until 2023. The bankruptcy application was made by bankers Arbuthnot Latham in connection with a judgment debt dating back to 2015. 5 Becker said that his diplomatic immunity had bought an end to 'the farce' - however that may not be the case Credit: Getty - Contributor MOST READ IN NEWS 'GOBSMACKED' Queen 'gave Harry OK for Oprah series after misleading pitch about soldiers' ROD LIDDLE Ousting right-on National Trust boss is a victory against wokery DRUMMER DEAD School Of Rock star dies at 32 after being hit by car as Jack Black mourns HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will JABS HOPE Scientists 'crack cause of blood clots linked to Covid jabs & know how to fix it' In a statement on Thursday, Mr Becker said: "The decision to commence bankruptcy proceedings against me was both unjustified and unjust. "A bunch of anonymous and unaccountable bankers and bureaucrats pushed me into a completely unnecessary declaration of bankruptcy, which has inflicted a whole heap of damage on me, both commercially and professionally, and on those close to me. "I have now asserted diplomatic immunity as I am in fact bound to do, in order to bring this farce to an end, so that I can start to rebuild my life."<doc-sep>Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images Former tennis star Boris Becker's attempt to wiggle out of financial trouble reportedly has hit a snag. Becker declared bankruptcy in June 2017 as the result of owing a "historical debt" to private banking firm Arbuthnot Latham & Co. According to TMZ Sports, the 50-year-old tried to claim that he had a diplomatic passport from the Central African Republic that would give him immunity in the United Kingdom. However, TMZ reported that Central African Republic officials said the document is fake. "The diplomatic passport that he has is a fake," Cherubin Moroubama, the foreign ministry’s chief of staff, told Agence-France Presse (h/t the Guardian's Jon Henley). TMZ reported there were several issues with Becker's supposed passport. First, the serial number allegedly matched up with some that were stolen in 2014. In addition, the document did not contain the signature or stamp of the foreign minister, Charles Armel Doubane. "Boris Becker is not an official diplomat of Central African Republic," Doubane said, via the Independent. "The President never asked me to take the appropriate steps in the case of Boris Becker." Earlier this month, the former No. 1-ranked player in the world put his tennis trophies up for auction in a bankruptcy sale. Becker won six Grand Slam singles titles, recording victories twice at the Australian Open, three times at Wimbledon and once at the U.S. Open. He never won the French Open, although he reached the semifinals three times.<doc-sep>Central African Republic's Foreign Minister says a copy of former tennis champion Boris Becker's diplomatic passport he has seen is a "clumsy fake". Becker said he had claimed diplomatic immunity from bankruptcy proceedings in London by taking up a role with Central African Republic (CAR) as a sports envoy. But the country's Foreign Minister, Charles Armel Doubane, said the diplomatic passport he had seen was a fake. "The signature on the passport was not mine and the number belongs to a series that was stolen during the transitional government [set up in 2014 after the country's civil conflict]," he said. "The copy of Boris Becker's passport that I saw and that has been circulating on social media is a clumsy fake." He said CAR was launching an inquiry into who issued the phoney diplomatic passport to Becker. Becker's lawyer was not immediately available for comment. The 50-year-old was declared bankrupt by a British court last year in connection to a debt owed to private bankers Arbuthnot Latham. He had recently been pursued for "further assets", according to a statement by his lawyers. Becker's argument against 'gravy train for the suits' The former tennis champion lodged a claim at the High Court in London to halt the case, and claimed his appointment as a diplomat by the CAR afforded him protection. Loading Becker's lawyers argued his post as attache diplomatic immunity under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which meant he "cannot be subject to legal process in the courts of any country for so long as he remains a recognised diplomatic agent". Through his lawyers, Becker had said the bank's decision to sue him was "both unjustified and unjust". "A bunch of anonymous and unaccountable bankers and bureaucrats pushed me into a completely unnecessary declaration of bankruptcy, which has inflicted a whole heap of damage on me," he said late last week. "Once this gravy train for the suits has been stopped in its tracks, my lawyers will turn to the question of compensation." In the statement, Becker went on say his attache role for the CAR would allow him to give something meaningful back to sports supporters in one of the poorest parts of the world. "There's no reason why a role of this kind should be treated any differently to an appointment as a military or a trade attache, which everyone recognises as attracting diplomatic immunity," he said. During his tennis career Becker stacked up six grand slam titles but in recent years his life has been a roller coaster. He lost much of his fortune, had a messy divorce and became the butt of jokes for his flings. Reuters/ABC<doc-sep>
The Central African Republic has denied that Boris Becker is one of its official diplomats and said a passport the former tennis star claimed should give him diplomatic immunity from bankruptcy proceedings in the UK is invalid. “The diplomatic passport that he has is a fake,” the foreign ministry’s chief of staff, Cherubin Moroubama, told Agence-France Presse. He said the document’s serial number corresponded to one of a batch of passports stolen in 2014. AFP said the passport, of which it had seen a copy, was dated 19 March 2018 but had not been stamped or signed by the country’s foreign minister, Charles Armel Doubane. On Friday lawyers for the three-time Wimbledon champion informed the high court in London that he had been appointed as the CAR’s attaché to the EU on sporting, cultural and humanitarian affairs in April. They argued this gave him diplomatic immunity from bankruptcy proceedings under the Vienna convention. According to the German daily Die Welt, Doubane told journalists in Bangui that Becker was “not an official diplomat for the Central African Republic. To be recognised as a diplomat, it would require not just president’s nomination but also my signature as foreign minister.” Moroubama said the job Becker claimed to be doing for his nation – which, despite abundant natural resources including gold, diamonds and uranium, ranks bottom of the UN’s human development index – “does not exist”. Becker, who became the youngest male grand slam champion when he won Wimbledon as an unseeded player in 1985, was declared bankrupt in June last year over an undisclosed sum owed to the private bankers Arbuthnot Latham & Co. After his lawyers submitted the application for immunity, Becker said the decision to commence bankruptcy proceedings against him was “both unjustified and unjust” and he was asserting immunity “to bring this farce to an end so that I can start to rebuild my life”.