Years after the diesel scandal, the trial against former VW board member Winterkorn has begun. After hours of the charges being read out, the 77-year-old himself is in the spotlight – he wants to speak.
What does “Mr. Volkswagen” Martin Winterkorn say about the allegations in the diesel scandal? A lengthy defense statement is planned for the second day of the trial in the Braunschweig Regional Court. After that, the 77-year-old will comment on his role in one of Germany’s biggest industrial scandals.
The key points of the three-part indictment filed by the public prosecutor have been clear since the start of the trial. The prosecutors are convinced that Winterkorn knew about emissions manipulation much earlier than he has previously stated. The defendant was therefore informed about the use of illegal software in the USA by May 2014 at the latest.
The presumption of innocence applies
Winterkorn is said to have used this knowledge to deceive VW buyers about the quality of the cars. The prosecutors also accuse him of deliberately not informing the capital market in a timely manner about the risks of fines in the crucial days of September 2015. In 2017, he is said to have given false testimony about this before the Bundestag’s investigative committee without being sworn in. The presumption of innocence applies.
With a deliberately relaxed appearance at the start, the former top manager expressed his confidence in the proceedings. He had his defense explain that he rejected the allegations and that he had “not cheated” and “harmed no one.” “We are firmly convinced that all allegations against him can be refuted,” said his lawyer Felix Dörr. He does not expect that more than 80 hearings will be necessary for this.
Resignation only because of political responsibility
The regional court has scheduled almost 90 dates for the criminal trial until September 2025. The emissions manipulation in millions of VW vehicles was uncovered in September 2015 by investigations by US environmental authorities and scientists and plunged VW into the worst crisis in the company’s history. Winterkorn resigned, but wanted this to be understood only as an acceptance of political responsibility.
Source: Stern
