Collien Fernandes: She reported her husband in Palma, but the case is not being pursued there.Image: IMAGO / Future Image
Collien Fernandes reported Christian Ulmen in Mallorca. Now a court has decided where the case belongs.
April 14, 2026, 3:54 p.mApril 14, 2026, 3:54 p.m
Steven Sowa / t-online
Refunded in November 2024 Collien Fernandes in Berlin Complaint against unknown people for creating so-called deepfakes. The case ended up with the public prosecutor Itzehoewhich initially stopped the investigation. Fernandes then accused the German judiciary of inaction, particularly in cases of digital violence.
A year later she showed off her ex-husband Christian Ulmen additionally Mallorca – also because the judiciary there is more progressive in prosecuting such crimes against women. Fernandes hoped for better chances. But the responsible court in Palma has now decided: the Spanish judiciary is not responsible. This decision is available to t-online, and a spokeswoman explains the reasoning in detail. The “Mallorca Zeitung” first reported that the case would be handed over to the German authorities.
Why the case goes to Germany
The decision of the responsible judge in Chamber Three for Violence against Women at the Palma District Court states: “The judge decides to reject jurisdiction and completely refer the proceedings to the responsible German public prosecutor’s office in Itzehoe.” The reasoning was that the jurisdiction of the Spanish courts could not be maintained.
Collien Fernandes’ lawyers can appeal the decision. According to media reports, the other side is also planning to do this and could, if necessary, take the matter to the Higher Regional Court.
Collien Fernandes and Christian Ulmen: They were married from 2011 to 2025.Image: IMAGO / Gartner
The justification for the levy goes on to say: “When examining the extensive evidence submitted by the reporting party, the connection that the case has with Germany turns out to be obvious,” it says. The German jurisdiction is therefore in a “privileged position to continue the investigations it has already initiated.”
“Ms. Collien Fernandes is a widely recognized personality in Germany, while in Spain she lacks such public relevance.”
Palma District Court
Further arguments cited by the Spanish authorities: Both parties are German citizens. The named witnesses live in Germany, speak German, and all conversations presented would have to be translated from German since neither party speaks Spanish. The alleged acts were either committed on German soil or spread via German-language digital platforms. In addition, Collien Fernandes has her reputation primarily in Germany: “Ms. Collien Fernandes is a widely recognized personality in Germany, while in Spain “Such public relevance is missing,” the judge wrote.
The judge rejected Fernandes’ lawyers’ argument that the campaign of digital violence could also have an impact on Mallorca because there is a large German-speaking community there. Such an argument lacks “any viability to establish the jurisdiction of the Spanish courts.”
The fact that the parties may have lived in Mallorca for a time does not change this. Even if Fernandes had her “usual and actual residence” there, that is not enough to justify Spanish jurisdiction.
The allegations and the status of the German investigation
Collien Fernandes reported Christian Ulmen on December 2, 2025 in Mallorca. The allegations include impersonation, breach of confidentiality, public insult, continued ill-treatment and serious threats. She then made these allegations public in a report in the news magazine “Spiegel”. Christian Ulmen is presumed innocent.
Actress and presenter Collien Fernandes. In Germany she appeared wearing a bulletproof vest and police protection.Image: IMAGO / STAR MEDIA
In her complaint, Fernandes mentioned, among other things, an incident from January 2023 in Mallorca, which is said to have resulted in a police operation. The subsequent summary proceedings were discontinued; Fernandes did not pursue the complaint at the time. The judge sees no sufficient evidence of “continued mistreatment” on Spanish soil. The complaint also mentions incidents that are said to have happened in 2011, long before the then unmarried couple moved to Mallorca.
The Itzehoe public prosecutor’s office, which initially closed the German case, has reopened the investigation after numerous media reports. It is currently being examined whether the investigating authorities Potsdam take over the case. A decision on the matter is still pending.
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