VW diesel scandal
Winterkorn is due back in court in February
The trial against former VW boss Winterkorn was intended to shed light on his role in the diesel affair. But after a short time it was over again. Now the court has a new plan.
The suspended criminal trial against former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn regarding the diesel affair is scheduled to continue from February 2025. The Braunschweig regional court announced that the expert chamber, which was advised by experts, assumed that the 77-year-old would be able to travel and negotiate from this point onwards. A further 89 appointments are planned for the procedure until February 2026.
The trial against Winterkorn began in September 2024, almost exactly nine years after the emissions manipulation at the Wolfsburg car manufacturer was exposed. After a few days of trial, the proceedings were postponed due to an injury to the defendant. According to court statements at the time, Winterkorn was so seriously injured that he had to be taken to hospital.
Interruption too long – process must start again
If Winterkorn is actually able to travel to Braunschweig again, the process will have to start all over again. The reading of the accusation, for example, would have to be repeated and Winterkorn can decide again or he would like to repeat his statement. According to a medical report, it had been clear since October that the trial could not be continued within the legally required interruption period.
The 77-year-old is accused of commercial fraud, market manipulation and unsworn false statements in the proceedings before the Commercial Criminal Chamber. However, he had rejected all of the prosecution’s allegations. The presumption of innocence applies.
dpa
Source: Stern
