car
Public prosecutor’s office: charges against ex-Conti boss Neumann
Because of the diesel scandal at VW, former executives at supplier Continental have been under investigation for years. Charges have now been brought against the well-known car manager Karl-Thomas Neumann.
The Hanover public prosecutor’s office has brought charges against the former Continental CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann for aiding and abetting fraud as an indirect perpetrator. In addition, three other former executives of the company are charged, as a spokesman for the authority said. The charges are related to the diesel scandal at Volkswagen. “Wirtschaftswoche” had previously reported.
Neumann rejected the allegations. “I have no wrongdoing to accuse myself of in connection with the diesel affair and I firmly reject the accusation made against me,” he said in response to a query from the dpa news agency. “We will examine the charges now filed with the necessary care as soon as we have all the files.” The car manager, also called “KT” Neumann, was also the boss of Opel and Volkswagen in China.
The affair surrounding the manipulation of diesel emissions values using deceptive software was exposed in September 2015, but it goes back a few years further. Since then, the question has been raised as to whether VW’s suppliers could also have known about the intention of diesel fraud. Continental did not want to comment on the charges that have now been made. It was pointed out that the charges were not directed against the company.
100 million euros fine for Continental
In April, the Hanover public prosecutor’s office imposed a fine of 100 million euros on Continental in connection with emissions manipulation. The proceedings for a negligent breach of the duty of supervision were directed against Continental AG and other companies in the group.
At the time, Continental announced that it would not take legal action. It is in the company’s interest that the process is ended.
dpa
Source: Stern
