Berlin/Osnabrück – Convicted wind power fraudster Hendrik Holt has been on the run since Tuesday, August 25, 2026. The 36-year-old failed to return to the Heidering correctional facility near Berlin following authorized, unsupervised leave. The Osnabrück public prosecutor’s office is consequently searching for him. According to the authorities, Holt had already been in an open prison regime for some time. However, a letter from his circle suggests that his failure to return was premeditated.
Hendrik Holt apparently announced his intention not to return beforehand
The public prosecutor’s office received a letter from Holt’s circle, and the correctional facility also received a corresponding message. It reportedly stated explicitly: “Hendrik Holt is not coming back.” According to the public prosecutor’s office, further investigative findings support the assumption of a deliberate flight.
Image: Sven Wolter
However, the authorities are currently neither mentioning a possible whereabouts nor information about possible helpers. Holt was scheduled to return to the Heidering JVA on Tuesday evening. Investigators have been searching for him ever since, while withholding further details for investigative reasons.
Millions in fraud with fictitious wind farms
Hendrik Holt is one of the best-known fraud cases in the German wind power industry. The Osnabrück regional court initially sentenced him to seven years and six months in prison in 2022. In October 2023, the court increased the total prison sentence to eight years for another fraud offense.
Holt and his co-defendants sold wind farm projects to energy companies, some of which did not even exist. To do this, they used fake contracts, permits and other documents. The damage to ČEZ, Enel and SSE was around ten million euros. Holt also implicated several family members in the fraud scheme.
New Allegations Surrounding Rostock-Laage Airport
Most recently, however, Holt has once again come under scrutiny in connection with Rostock-Laage Airport. The Berlin-based company Crisp Partners purchased the airport in 2025 for 3.1 million euros. Investigations by WELT and Business Insider suggest that Holt may have influenced the deal while in custody. Holt, however, denies having been the purchaser of the airport himself.
New investigations are also examining the source of the down payment for the airport. There are indications that the funds might have originated from a criminal offense, though this has not yet been proven. Meanwhile, according to the HAZ, creditors are awaiting payment of claims totaling around 40 million euros in the insolvency proceedings. However, no link between the new allegations and Holt’s flight has been established so far.
Author: Blackout News
Sources: Hannoversche Allgemeine (27.08.26) – Tagesschau (27.08.26) – Welt (27.08.26)