Former CEO Martin Winterkorn finally went on trial Tuesday, nine years after the scandal rocked the German auto giant and severely damaged its reputation.
In September 2015, US scientists installed software to cheat emissions tests in several Volkswagen diesel cars.
He “didn’t cheat” and “didn’t hurt anybody,” his lawyer told the court at the start of the proceedings.
The trial dragged on for years
Winterkorn was due to appear in Braunschweig regional court in 2021 along with four other former VW executives and engineers. However, at that time he was undergoing a series of operations.
The former chief executive is accused of commercial fraud, market manipulation and making false statements. He is first accused of misleading consumers about the quality of the car. Then, as the scandal was coming to light, he was accused of deliberately failing to inform investors of potential penalty payments.
He is also accused of lying in a 2017 investigation by Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag.
The indictment against him is more than 600 pages long.
About 9 million vehicles were affected by the scandal, sending VW into the worst crisis in the company’s history.
es/lo (AFP, dpa)
Post ‘Dieselgate’ criminal trial begins for ex-VW boss Winterkorn appeared first German wave.