Former VW boss in court
Winterkorn is in a good mood and announces a statement
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When did former VW boss Winterkorn find out about the emissions cheating within the company? According to the prosecution, much earlier than he has previously claimed. The now 77-year-old must answer in court for alleged commercial fraud, market manipulation and perjury. The trial will take months.
Diesel engines, acoustic functions, switching logic and software manipulation: suddenly the terms that plunged Volkswagen into the biggest crisis in the company's history are back. Nine years after the emissions scandal came to light, the then CEO Martin Winterkorn is on trial as a defendant. A commercial criminal court in Braunschweig wants to examine the role of the 77-year-old, who led Europe's largest car manufacturer from 2007 to 2015. He plans to make a statement on the second day of the trial tomorrow.
“I'm feeling quite well today,” said Winterkorn shortly before the start of the trial. The country's once best-paid top manager is visibly marked by several operations. With a marked smile, however, he expressed his confidence in the proceedings both in front of and in the courtroom. “Our client firmly denies the accusations made against him,” said his defense attorney Felix Dörr on his behalf. “We are confident that we will reach a good result for our client.” The defense is certain that Winterkorn “did not cheat” and “harmed no one.”
Fraud, market manipulation, misrepresentation
“Dieselgate” with emissions manipulation in millions of VW vehicles was uncovered in September 2015 by investigations by US environmental authorities and scientists. The affair surrounding the cheating software – sometimes called acoustic function, sometimes switching logic – was to cost Volkswagen more than 32 billion euros in legal proceedings alone. Winterkorn resigned a few days after the scandal became known, thereby assuming political responsibility. He always denied personal responsibility.
In the trial, the former company boss is accused of commercial fraud, market manipulation and perjury. Winterkorn is said to have deceived VW buyers about the quality of the cars and, in the crucial days of September 2015, deliberately failed to inform the capital market in time about the risks of fines. In 2017, he is said to have given false perjury testimony before the Bundestag's investigative committee. The presumption of innocence applies.
However, the Braunschweig public prosecutor's office is convinced that Winterkorn knew about the manipulation of emissions much earlier than he has previously stated. The defendant had been aware of the use of illegal software in the USA since May 2014 at the latest, according to the first indictment. The reading of the first part of the indictment alone, with the allegations of fraud, took almost an hour and a half.
89 trial days scheduled
There have long been judgments, fines, and proceedings discontinued in return for fines and compensation in the diesel scandal at Volkswagen. However, the exact background and processes at the Wolfsburg carmaker remain a mystery to this day. The first major fraud trial against four other ex-VW managers and engineers has also not yet produced any major findings after three years of negotiations.
Winterkorn was actually supposed to be in the dock in this case from 2021. However, for health reasons, his case was separated. The regional court has scheduled 89 dates for the criminal trial until September 2025. According to this plan, a verdict against Winterkorn would be possible almost exactly ten years after the diesel scandal came to light. It remains to be seen what can be proven in the complex proceedings.
