ROUNDUP 2 / VW DIESEL CASE: Prosecutors bring charges against 15 other executives | 04/24/21

(Update: Volkswagen’s reaction in the second paragraph and details of the civil law dispute in the last paragraph.)

BRAUNSCHWEIG (dpa-AFX) – The investigators in the diesel case at Volkswagen (VW) vz have sent more than 1,500 pages of allegations to the Braunschweig Regional Court. 15 other executives from the Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen) and a supplier are accused, Prosecutor Klaus Zehy told the German news agency in Braunschweig. You are accused of aiding and abetting fraud by tax evasion, aiding and abetting false testimonials and criminal advertisements. The prosecutor’s office did not name any names.

This means that 34 people in the investigations are accused of excessive nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Investigators are convinced that the management team was largely responsible for the fact that authorities and customers in Europe and the United States were duped with the help of illegal software in diesel vehicles. The fourth indictment now consists of 1,554 pages. Volkswagen did not comment on the new charges, noting that in 2018 the criminal investigation against the company itself was closed in exchange for a fine.

Also in this case, the Braunschweig District Court must decide that the indictment will be admissible. A court spokesman confirmed that the files had been received. In the case of a former CEO Martin Winterkorn And four other directors, the court has already admitted the charges, including commercial fraud and mass fraud. The operation was last postponed to September due to Corona.

The attorney general’s office brought charges against 14 Volkswagen employees in two other NOx cases related to the emissions scandal. However, no decision has yet been taken on whether to open the main procedures. Six people were charged with gross fraud, some tax evasion, and forged certificates in January 2020. Since September, eight employees have been dealing with suspected, sometimes serious fraud, false testimonials and competition violations, as well as some breach of trust, tax evasion or assistance.

The “Dieselgate” scandal was exposed in September 2015 through investigations by US environmental agencies and scientists. Volkswagen plunged into the worst crisis in the company’s history. The result has been billions in legal costs and damaged consumer confidence. The accused in the present proceedings is said to have knowingly and willingly participated in the establishment and development of manipulation programs for various periods of the crimes.

The civil law treatment of the diesel scandal has not been completed yet. At the end of March, after a long internal investigation, Volkswagen announced that it would seek compensation from Winterkorn. The exact amount of the amount, which should be aimed primarily at the principal’s liability insurance, remained open at the beginning. Industry announced at the end of the week that negotiations with insurers and between individual insurers were ongoing. According to information from the NDR, WDR and Süddeutscher Zeitung, the total amount could reach more than 1 billion euros. Volkswagen has not commented on this. / bch / jap / DP / men