Cum-Ex-Skandal: Nach Umzug nach NRW: Für verurteilten Ex-Freshfields-Partner geht es nach Haftantritt in offenen Vollzug

Ulf Johannemann, a former partner of law firm Freshfields, must now serve his prison sentence. The Frankfurt State Prosecutor's Office has informed him of his imminent arrival in Bielefeld-Senne, a prison specializing in open custody. Johannemann was sentenced to three and a half years in jail in January 2024 for aiding and abetting serious tax evasion, a crime for which Judge Werner Groeschel of the Landgericht Frankfurt described him as having "high criminal energy."

Johannemann will not serve his sentence in Hesse, as the court has ordered him to do so in Ostwestfalen, following his relocation to the Münsterland region. This move is intended to accommodate his care for a dependent relative. According to his lawyer, Johannemann has lived in North Rhine-Westphalia for over two years to fulfill this obligation.

The open custody system offers greater freedom compared to closed prisons, with the authority to grant exemptions such as early release or transfer at their discretion. Generally, inmates in open custody are only permitted to leave the facility during the day if they are engaged in authorized work. Johannemann's case is yet another example of individuals being sent to Bielefeld-Senne, the institution known for housing high-profile inmates like former Bertelsmann and Arcandor CEO Thomas Middelhoff, who also served his sentence in open custody.