German Prosecutors Charge 15 More Volkswagen Executives In Diesel Emissions Scandal

German prosecutors have charged 15 more Volkswagen executives and a supplier in connection with the diesel emissions cheating scandal. As reported by Reuters, the suspects are accused of aiding and abetting fraud in combination with tax evasion, indirect false certification and criminal advertising. However, the report says that the prosecutor's office did not name the charged executives. Moreover, no immediate comment was available from the prosecutor's office or the German carmaker.

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The German carmaker in 2015 admitted using illegal software to rig diesel engine tests in the United States.

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Last month, Volkswagen said that it would claim damages from its former CEO Martin Winterkorn and former Audi boss Rupert Stadler over the diesel emissions scandal. The company said that following a far-reaching legal investigation it had concluded Winterkorn and Stadler had breached their duty of care, adding it had found no violations by other members of the management board. Winterkorn and Stadler have both denied being responsible for the scandal. Do note, the trial of Winterkorn and the other managers has been postponed until September due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The former CEO and other executives at Volkswagen were charged in 2019 over cars sold to customers with a so-called defeat device, which aided in evading environmental tests of diesel engines. The German carmaker in 2015 admitted using illegal software to rig diesel engine tests in the United States. The diesel gate scandal has cost the company over 32 billion euros ($38 billion) in fines, refits and legal costs.