Diesel process more weighty: the court closes proceedings against Winterkorn

Diesel process more important
Court closes proceedings against Winterkorn

From the end of February, the then top management of VW will have to answer the diesel scandal in court. A second process is actually still waiting for the then CEO, Winterkorn, because he supposedly did not inform the capital market in good time. He doesn't have to worry about that anymore.

Former Volkswagen Group boss Martin Winterkorn is spared a process of market manipulation. The Braunschweig regional court dropped the proceedings against the former manager at the request of the public prosecutor. The expected penalty in this case would have been less than in the diesel process, it is said. While Winterkorn faces up to ten years imprisonment in the diesel trial, market manipulation is imprisonment of a maximum of five years. "This would mean that the conviction for market manipulation would not lead to a significant increase in the overall sentence," the court said.

The diesel trial against Winterkorn and four other VW managers is expected to begin on February 25, according to the court. Winterkorn has rejected the allegation of commercial gang fraud and vehicle tax evasion.

VW St.
VW St. 168.40

In its decision, the Regional Court of Braunschweig referred to the relevant provisions on the preliminary termination of proceedings in the German code of criminal procedure. Accordingly, in the event of a conviction in both proceedings, a penalty would have to be reduced to a total penalty, whereby the penalty for market manipulation "does not have a significant impact" compared to that for gang and commercial fraud and "does not lead to a substantial increase in the total penalty" would.

Costs of 32 billion euros – so far

Under these circumstances, courts can temporarily suspend proceedings and there is no longer any possibility of appeal. Winterkorn's accusation of market manipulation is only a supplementary legal field in dealing with the affair at VW. The public prosecutor's office accused the former group leader of failing to inform the capital market in good time in the manner prescribed by law.

The main focus of the investigation, on the other hand, is allegations of deceiving car buyers. Five years ago, Volkswagen admitted to having manipulated millions of diesel exhaust gas values ​​using a shut-off device in its vehicles. This ensured that cars admittedly adhere to the permitted nitrogen oxide values ​​on the test bench, but that they emit a multiple of these emissions on the road.

There is still no end in sight to the numerous trials by public prosecutors, customers and investors around the world. The reparation of the scandal has cost Volkswagen around 32 billion euros so far.

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