- Martin Winterkorn is facing charges including fraud, market manipulation, and unlawful false testimony.
- The ex-CEO’s trial has been delayed repeatedly due to his health issues.
- Approximately 90 days have been scheduled for testimony in the trial.
The former chief executive of Volkswagen AG, Martin Winterkorn, has appeared in German court ahead of a trial on charges stemming from the car manufacturer’s dieselgate scandal which shook up the entire automotive industry in September 2015.
Winterkorn had made a plea to a judge to postpone his trial as he said he was in poor health. However, the judge rejected the 77-year-old’s plea, and he is facing several charges, including fraud, market manipulation, and unlawful false testimony before a parliamentary committee. Winterkorn has denied all charges and insists he’s innocent.
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Prosecutors believe that Winterkorn had knowledge of Volkswagen’s rampant use of illegal software that cheated diesel emissions tests. This software could detect when an emissions system was being tested and increase pollution controls to meet regulations. When not being tested, vehicles were found to spew toxic nitrogen oxides into the air.
The boss of VW is also said to have authorized a recall of affected vehicles in 2014 in a bid to ensure regulators wouldn’t discover the software. A charge related to market manipulation alleges Winterkorn failed to properly notify VW shareholders in good time about the financial risk of the software.
Winterkorn has blamed those under him for cheating diesel emissions tests. “Our client did not defraud or harm anyone, he did not deliberately leave the capital market in the dark so that investors would be harmed, and he told the investigating committee the truth,” his lawyer told Reuters.
The New York Times reports Winterkorn’s trial has been postponed repeatedly while he received treatment for knee and hip issues. Approximately 90 days of testimony have been scheduled in the case, and it’s expected to last until September 2025. It’s common for criminal trials in Germany to last years and four other VW executives have been on trial for their involvement in dieselgate since 2021.
The charges brought against Winterkorn carry a maximum of 10 years in prison. It’s unlikely he will receive such a lengthy term, however. The former boss of Audi, Rupert Stadler, received a suspended sentence last year after he pleased guilty to his involvement in the scheme.
