In the criminal trial involving the diesel case, four former Volkswagen executives in Germany have been found guilty of fraud. The Commercial Criminal Division of the Braunschweig Regional Court sentenced two defendants to several years in prison, and two former employees received suspended sentences. The scandal of rigged diesel emissions tests broke in September 2015.
In the United States, the German automaker had admitted to falsifying test results shortly beforehand. A few days later, CEO Winterkorn resigned. As a result, VW plunged into one of its largest crises, which has so far cost the group some €33 billion, according to its own figures. The verdict marks the end of a major trial after almost four years. While the defendants are convicted from the investigators' perspective, the men defend themselves and see themselves as pawns.
The prosecution had requested between two and four years in prison and only considered conditional release appropriate in one case. The defense, for its part, requested three acquittals and one warning. New Proceedings in the Diesel Scandal The verdict is not final, and the legal process is not over, even after this guilty verdict. In Braunschweig, following the first and complex trial against Winterkorn, four more criminal proceedings against a total of 31 defendants remain open, according to a spokesperson for the district court.
Open Exit to Winterkorn Originally, former Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn was also scheduled to appear in the dock. However, his part of the trial was postponed for health reasons before the start in September 2021. In the meantime, Winterkorn has spoken as both a witness and a defendant in court, firmly denying responsibility in the diesel scandal. However, an accident resulting in hospitalization interrupted the trial against the most prominent defendant. Whether and when the proceedings against the now 78-year-old can continue remains entirely open.
