Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn appeared in court on Tuesday, nine years after the so-called dieselgate scandal broke out, Reuters reports. The case involves rigging emissions tests for the carmaker's internal combustion engines between 2009 and 2015. “The trial comes at a time when the future of Volkswagen's German operations is in doubt due to massive cost-cutting,” Reuters writes.
Martin Winterkorn, the former chief executive of Volkswagen, appeared in court on Tuesday on fraud charges related to the so-called dieselgate scandal, nine years after the German carmaker was found to have rigged emissions tests, Reuters reported.
Martin Winterkorn, former CEO of VolkswagenPAP/EPA
Fraud, market manipulation and making false statements before a parliamentary committee
“Winterkorn, who was removed from the helm of the company in September 2015 after it emerged that millions of Volkswagen cars had been manipulated to meet environmental standards, has become the figurehead of the biggest scandal in the company's history,” the agency explained.
The reason for the delays in the trial, as reported by Reuters, is the health problems of Martin Winterkorn, now 77. He faces a fine or imprisonment. The accused has pleaded not guilty.
Former Volkswagen CEO Martin WinterkornPAP/EPA
The criminal charges against Winterkorn include fraud, market manipulation and unlawfully giving false testimony before a parliamentary committee. He is also accused of failing to promptly inform the capital market about massive manipulation of diesel engines in 2015, Reuters writes.
Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn in courtPAP/EPA
However, as Reuters reports, the accused has pleaded not guilty. Through his lawyer, Winterkorn has denied the charges against him. “Our client did not deceive or harm anyone, did not deliberately leave the capital market in the dark so that investors would suffer, and told the truth to the investigative committee,” his lawyer said.
The former Volkswagen CEO appeared as a witness in the investor trial in February this year, the agency reports. “He denied any involvement in decisions to install so-called mitigation devices that made harmful emissions from diesel engines appear cleaner than they actually were.” He had previously been questioned by a commission of inquiry of the German parliament and by law firms acting on behalf of Volkswagen.
Illegal devices
In September 2015, Volkswagen admitted to installing defeat devices in a total of around 11 million cars that, for cost-saving purposes, switched off the nitrogen oxide neutralisation system during normal vehicle operation and switched it on when it recognised that the engine was undergoing testing.
Volkswagen pleaded guilty in March 2017 to defrauding U.S. regulatory agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board. The devices were installed in nearly 600,000 vehicles sold in USA since 2009.
Main image source: PAP/EPA