Uli Hoeneß approved for early release from prison

Just before Christmas, it was revealed that former Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeneß had applied for early release from the prison in which he was being held after being convicted of tax evasion. Today, a German court has ruled that Hoeneß will be a free man as of February 29, 2016.

Hoeneß was convicted on March 2014 of over €28.5 million in unpaid taxes. He was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison resigned his position as Bayern Munich President at that time. He began serving his sentence in June 2014. Hoeneß was granted work-release in January of 2015, and Bayern immediately welcomed him back into the fold. The club put Hoeneß to work observing and later helping to restructure the youth department.

The prosecution has spoken out against the early release, but they have yet to file any appeal.

Now, Hoeneß will walk as a free man, while serving probation for the next three years. While it is not known if Hoeneß will seek his old position back at FC Bayern, club officials have not ruled anything out.