Ex-Volkswagen boss Winterkorn charged with Dieselgate fraud

Former Volkswagen chairman Martin Winterkorn and four other former executives from the German car maker have been charged with fraud by German prosecutors investigating the Dieselgate diesel emission manipulation scandal.

The public prosecutor office in the German city of Braunschweig has filed a lawsuit against Winterkorn, claiming he violated competition laws by failing to disclose the manipulation of diesel engine emission systems.

It also says Winterkorn failed to prohibit the installation of software that allowed diesel engines to achieve better emission test results in laboratory tests on a rolling road than those carried out in real-world conditions on public roads.

Volkswagen admitted in 2015 that it fitted up to 11 million diesel-engined cars with so-called ‘defeat devices’ that allowed them to beat emissions tests. As a result, it was then forced to carry out the most comprehensive recall in its history at a cost put at over €25 billion (RMB168 billion)

Further charges outlined in the lawsuit include misappropriation, tax evasion and false certification.

If found guilty, Winterkorn faces between six months and 10 years in prison, according to German legal experts. The 71-year-old German was also charged with fraud by US prosecutors in 2018.

The four other unnamed Volkswagen executives have all been charged with a variety of fraud charges relating to the scandal. The Braunschweig prosecutors say the indictment covers 692 pages, with an additional 300 file volumes featuring 75,000 pages, to explain the charges.

German prosecutors are continuing to investigate 36 defendants in relation to the Dieselgate diesel emission manipulation scandal.