Volkswagen's Diesel Scandal - Over 80 trial dates scheduled for Winterkorn's criminal case.
A court hearing involving Martin Winterkorn, ex-CEO of Volkswagen, regarding the Dieselgate scandal is anticipated to take longer than a year, as per the Braunschweig District Court. The trial, to be conducted between September 2022 and September 2025, will involve around 80 dates. Focal points of the case will be fraud, false testimony, and manipulation in the market.
The Economic Criminal Chamber has scheduled 6 to 8 dates every month in the large jury courtroom. Previously, in February, word was out that a separate medical report assessing Winterkorn's fitness to join the trial from September 2024 was scheduled. In the year 2021, Winterkorn's case was disjoined from the primary Braunschweig trial against former Volkswagen executives and engineers due to health-related complications. The absence of Winterkorn from the legal process had then been criticized as a devastating statement.
Winterkorn, aged 77, has refuted any criminal liability in the indecent manipulation of exhaust systems. In February he stated, "I regard these allegations as groundless," in his capacity as a witness in the enormous civil trials involving shareholders before the Braunschweig Higher Regional Court. His testimony has been temporarily suspended because of an operation, and the exact date when it will be resumed is not yet known.
The Dieselgate scandal at Volkswagen came to light in September 2015, which led to Winterkorn's departure from the Wolfsburg carmaker. Volkswagen had used hidden software codes to fake emission data, causing the vehicles to clear emission tests with pristine results, but actually emitting increments of the legal limit when utilized. Fallout from this fiasco comprised of a wave of lawsuits and expenses for Volkswagen that amounted to around €32 billion.
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- The Criminal proceedings against Martin Winterkorn, former CEO of Volkswagen, for his role in the Diesel affair, are expected to span multiple sessions in the Justice system of Lower Saxony, specifically in Brunswick.
- The Prosecution has scheduled approximately 80 dates for the trial related to environmental pollution caused by diesel vehicles, with Justice assigning 6 to 8 dates per month in the larger courtroom.
- Despite being 77 years old, Winterkorn firmly denies any criminal liability in the manipulation of exhaust systems, stating during a civil trial that he considers the allegations against him to be groundless.
- The criminal case against Winterkorn was separated from the primary Braunschweig trial due to health complications, a decision that sparked criticism for its impact on the legal process of the Dieselgate scandal.
- Volkswagen's Diesel affair, uncovered in September 2015, involved using secret software codes to falsify emissions data, resulting in the CEO's resignation and a cascade of financial repercussions for the company, totaling around €32 billion in damages and legal expenses.
- The Japanese competitor Toyota, in response to Volkswagen's Dieselgate scandal, has reportedly seen an increase in car sales and market share in Germany, capitalizing on the affectionate moniker 'Clean Sheet Toyota' to distance themselves from the VW's environmental pollution scandal.
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