After years of delays, the trial against former VW boss Winterkorn was supposed to shed light on his role in the diesel scandal. Now, after just a few days of proceedings, it has come to an end.
The continuation of the criminal trial against former VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn in the diesel scandal has been postponed. The criminal chamber was informed that the 77-year-old was in hospital after an accident, the Braunschweig Regional Court said. The hearing dates for this Wednesday and Thursday have been cancelled.
The court did not want to disclose details about the accident in the home or Winterkorn’s current state of health. His lawyer believes it is unlikely that the proceedings can be continued this year, as he told the German Press Agency.
It is therefore unclear whether and when the trial will continue. The court will comment later on whether health reasons prevent the trial from continuing for a longer period of time.
The trial against Winterkorn only began at the beginning of September, nine years after the emissions manipulation at the Wolfsburg carmaker was exposed. The former CEO had denied any responsibility for the diesel scandal. “Our client firmly rejects the allegations made against him. We are confident that we will reach a good result for our client,” said his defense attorney Felix Dörr.
In the proceedings before the commercial criminal division, the 77-year-old is accused of commercial fraud, market manipulation and perjury. Winterkorn is said to have deceived VW buyers about the quality of the cars and, in the crucial days of September 2015, deliberately failed to inform the capital market in a timely manner about the risks of fines. In 2017, he is said to have given false perjury testimony before the Bundestag’s investigative committee.
However, the defense is certain that Winterkorn “did not commit fraud” and “did not harm anyone.” He also did not deliberately leave the capital market in the dark or tell the Bundestag an untruth. The presumption of innocence applies.
Winterkorn was actually supposed to be in the dock with four other former VW managers and engineers in the first major fraud trial in Braunschweig. Shortly before the start of this trial in 2021, however, his case was separated for health reasons and was now to be brought forward. Almost 90 dates were scheduled for the criminal trial until September 2025.
Source: Stern
