Exhaust scandal: VW lawyer burdens Winter grain

The ex-VW boss only wants to know about the exhaust gas scam when it was blown up. But a VW lawyer claims to have spoken to him weeks before.

Exhaust scandal: VW lawyer burdens Winter grain

One of remaining unresolved questions in VW exhaust gas scandal is: When did n CEO Martin Winter Korn know about fraud software that was installed in millions of diesel cars in order to reduce emission values measured in laboratory? The years of manipulation in United States in middle of September 2015, but it is suspected that winter grain knew about it much earlier and it remained silent until US authorities came to car manufacturer.

Now a high-ranking VW lawyer is burdening former chairman of Board of Management with media reports as difficult. As Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR report, non-named lawyer at investigating public prosecutor Braunschweig said that he had on July 27, 2015 with winter grain in his office at Wolfsburg corporate headquarters about fraudulent software Used in VW diesel vehicles for US market. This software only reduced amount of pollutants emitted on test bench, but not in normal driving mode.

According to reports, lawyer Winter Korn wants to have urgent advice to take initiative to elucidate matter, rar than keep quiet and put it to attention of US authorities. At some point Americans would discover mselves, lawyer should have warned winter corn.

Winter grain wants to have known nothing

Indeed, on behalf of US authorities, experts have been determined since middle of 2014, as it could be, that diesel cars from VW on road blew considerably more nitrogen oxides into air than measured in laboratory. VW spoke out several times in talks with US authorities and talked about a software error. It was not until Americans threatened German automaker with withdrawal of approvals that it had 2015 on 3 September and acknowledged manipulations against authorities.

Winter Korn's lawyer, Felix Dörr, told Süddeutsche Zeitung that he could not say anything about testimony of VW jurist, as he did not have minutes of interrogation. According to newspaper, lawyer should have made same statements in internal investigations of VW to elucidate affair as he did with Public Prosecutor's office. Winter grain had resigned on September 23, 2015 as VW boss. He also wants to know a few days before manipulations of existence of software and spoke of a "mistake of a few".

On Thursday it was announced that US Department of Justice has charged against winter grain. It accuses now 70-year-old of complicity in diesel exhaust scandal. The competent court in Detroit had published correspondingly extended indictment. Winter corn is accused of being part of a conspiracy to violate US environmental laws and to deceive authorities. After indictment, US judiciary also issued an arrest warrant against former VW boss, as confirmed by a spokesperson for DPA news agency.

However, it is unlikely that former VW boss will have to answer before a US court, since Basic Law prohibits extradition of citizens. A lawyer, Winter Korn, told DPA to check charges and will "speak in time".

However, a court case against winter grain is still possible in Germany: The Brunswick Prosecutor's Office continues to determine and counts former chairman of Board of Management according to his own information on a circle of 37 suspects in case. According to South German Zeitung, this also includes quoted VW lawyer.

Date Of Update: 05 May 2018, 12:02
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