Germany Investigating Volkswagen Supervisory Board Chairman, & Illinois Files Lawsuit Against Volkswagen
Volkswagen’s supervisory board chairman and former chief of finance, Hans Dieter Poetsch, is now under investigation by authorities in Germany, in addition to Volkswagen-brand Chief Executive Herbert Diess and former Volkswagen-group CEO Martin Winterkorn, according to recent reports.
The new investigation, confirmed by prosecutors in the German town of Braunschweig, is over suspected market manipulation. Specifically, it relates to the question of whether or not Volkswagen intentionally manipulated markets in 2015 through a delay of the release of financial impact information related to the diesel emissions cheating scandal.
In a related move, Germany’s motor vehicle authority KBA has apparently been commissioned by the Transport Ministry to investigate recent reports of further software-based cheating at Audi.
Notably, the US Department of Justice is still considering whether or not to file criminal charges against the company.
On a separate but very related note, the US state of Illinois has filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen for “tampering with emissions controls in Volkswagen and Audi diesel vehicles.” This makes Illinois the 19th US state to do so.
Automotive News provides a bit more information: “The complaint, filed in Cook County Circuit Court by Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Monday, charges the company’s American unit and seeks civil penalties for violations of state environmental laws. … About 29,800 cars sold in Illinois were affected, Madigan said. VW spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said the company would review the complaint.”
An interesting question with regard to the US-based lawsuits is what the potential impact of the incoming administration will be, if any. Will the Trump administration push for legal action against Volkswagen even more aggressively than it is now?
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