Investigations on suspicion of fraud: Police arrested agent of Boris Becker's diplomatic passport

The Munich I prosecutor investigates a network that is said to have specialized in the illegal procurement of African diplomatic passports. According to the SPIEGEL, three suspects were arrested at the end of August. Among them is the businessman Stephan Welk, who had given ex-tennis star Boris Becker a diplomatic passport of the Central African Republic last year.

Read the full story here: The Diplomats Slingshot

The specific reason for the arrests was a recent case in southern Germany. Welk and his alleged accomplices are accused of cheating on a Bavarian meat wholesaler. They have promised him against payment of 1.5 million euro diplomatic documents of the West African Republic of Guinea-Bissau and promised him at the same time extensive export opportunities to Africa. Welk's defense attorney said his client had been "used".

In addition to Welk and the professional boxer Mario Daser was arrested. According to SPIEGEL information, he himself had a diplomatic identity card Guinea-Bissau, in which he was referred to as "attaché for culture and sport". Daser's lawyer did not comment on the allegations.

Already on 7 May the Federal Police had secured a stack of Guinea-Bissau identity papers in the hand luggage of a courier after checking at Frankfurt Airport. Several of the documents were issued to persons who are being investigated in Germany or who have been invited to arrest.

Boris Becker could be heard in the proceedings as a witness. The ex-tennis star had tried in 2018 in vain to enforce diplomatic immunity in order to escape his bankruptcy in London. From his environment it was said that he had paid no money for his diplomatic passport. He broke off contact with Welk.

This topic comes from the new SPIEGEL magazine - available at the kiosk from Saturday morning and every Friday at SPIEGEL + and in the digital magazine edition.

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