Volkswagen has hit out at former chairman Ferdinand Piech after he claimed to have informed VW board members about diesel emissions cheating six months before the scandal broke.
The German marque strongly rejects Piech’s claim and maintains that its top executives were unaware of the emissions issue prior to September 2015. Consequently, Volkswagen says it is considering possible claims against Piech.
“The supervisory board of Volkswagen AG emphatically repudiates the assertions made by Ferdinand Piech as reported recently in the media. The board of management will carefully weigh the possibility of measures and claims against Mr Piech,” the automaker said.
A German publication recently reported that Piech told ex-chief executive Martin Winterkorn and members of the supervisory board that U.S. authorities discovered the brand’s emissions cheat device as early as March 2015. Piech apparently received a tip-off from an Israeli security firm, says Reuters.
In a joint statement, former members of the supervisory board of VW, Bernd Osterloh and Berthold Huber echoed VW’s sentiments saying “The allegations are untrue. Had Dr Piech informed us, we may have been able to spare the company and its workforce from substantial harm. We now expect the management board to thoroughly evaluate whether steps need to be taken against Piech.”
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