Volkswagen's Ex-CEO Is Ordered to Stand Trial Over Emissions Scandal -- Update
September 09 2020 - 8:04AM
Dow Jones News
By William Boston
BERLIN -- A German court on Wednesday ordered former Volkswagen
AG Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn to stand trial on charges of
fraud and tax evasion in connection with the auto maker's rigging
of millions of diesel-powered vehicles to cheat emissions
tests.
Mr. Winterkorn couldn't be reached for comment. His attorney
wasn't immediately available for comment.
Mr. Winterkorn was forced to step down as CEO in September 2015,
days after U.S. authorities charged the company with committing
massive fraud. Mr. Winterkorn said at the time that he was unaware
of the illegal software.
The court in Braunschweig, near Volkswagen's headquarters in
Wolfsburg, said it would allow the case to go to trial, citing a
"probability of conviction" based on the evidence presented.
The charges are levied against five individuals including Mr.
Winterkorn, who was CEO during the years that Volkswagen installed
illegal software to suppress toxic emissions during routine testing
on around 11 million vehicles world-wide.
All criminal investigations against Volkswagen as a corporation
have been settled in Germany and the U.S.
Volkswagen pleaded guilty to defrauding the U.S. government and
U.S. consumers in 2016. The company has paid more than $30 billion
in fines, penalties, and other charges related to the diesel
affair.
Write to William Boston at william.boston@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 09, 2020 08:49 ET (12:49 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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