German Prosecutors Reopen Investigation Into Collien Fernandes Abuse Allegations

The public prosecutor's office in Itzehoe, Germany, has resumed its recently suspended investigations into allegations of digital sexualized violence made by German television presenter and actress Collien Fernandes, according to a statement by prosecution spokesperson Peter Müller-Rakow confirmed to AFP and Bild. The investigations had been suspended before being reopened following a review of media reports on the matter. Müller-Rakow stated that further legal assessments of Fernandes' allegations will now follow, and that the question of a potentially applicable criminal offense remains open. Fernandes, who went public with her allegations last week, had previously told the Tagesspiegel that she had assumed a police authority from Schleswig-Holstein would contact her, but that this had not happened and that questions from Itzehoe had never reached her. The resumption of the German probe means that investigations into the case are now running in parallel in two countries.

Spain's Mallorca courts examine a broader set of charges Alongside the German proceedings, judicial authorities in Mallorca, Spain, are currently examining a separate complaint filed by Fernandes, according to the sources. Fernandes chose to file the complaint in Spain because, according to Stern, the legal situation for alleged victims of gender-based violence is more favorable there than in Germany. The Spanish complaint allegedly includes charges of identity theft, breach of secrecy, public insult, regular abuse, and serious threats. Fernandes publicly accused her ex-husband, German entertainer and actor Christian Ulmen, of the acts underlying these allegations. Web search results indicate that Ulmen is alleged to have impersonated Fernandes and conducted sexual conversations with men while sending erotic images and videos. Ulmen is presumed innocent, and no charges have been formally filed against him at this stage.

Ulmen's lawyer threatens legal action over media coverage Christian Ulmen's lawyer, media law specialist Christian Schertz, responded to the reporting by announcing legal action. Schertz described the coverage as, to a large extent, impermissible reporting based on suspicion. „To a large extent impermissible reporting based on suspicion. In addition, false facts are being spread based on a one-sided account.” — Christian Schertz via newsORF.at Müller-Rakow, for his part, declined to confirm whether the Itzehoe investigations are directed specifically at Ulmen, stating that he could not make any specific statements on that point. The prosecution's position is that the legal assessment of the allegations is ongoing and that no determination on the applicable criminal offense has yet been made.

Fernandes has fought fake pornography for years According to a March 17, 2026 report cited in web search results, Collien Fernandes has been fighting against fake pornography on the internet for several years. Fernandes, born in Hamburg in 1981, is known in Germany as a television presenter, actress, and author. She and Christian Ulmen were married from 2011 until 2026, with Fernandes having used the combined surname Ulmen-Fernandes during that period. Christian Schertz, Ulmen's lawyer, is a German jurist specializing in media law. The case has drawn significant public attention in Germany since Fernandes went public with her allegations last week, prompting both the German prosecution to reopen its inquiry and the Spanish authorities to proceed with their own examination. The dual-jurisdiction nature of the proceedings reflects the cross-border complexity of cases involving alleged digital offenses, where the location of servers, victims, and suspects may span multiple legal systems. The Itzehoe prosecutor's office has not set a public timeline for completing its legal assessment, and Müller-Rakow indicated that the process of determining whether a criminal offense applies remains at an early stage.