Verdict expected in emissions trial of Volkswagen execs
A verdict in a case related to the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal is expected to be handed down by a German court, nearly a decade after US authorities discovered manipulated software on millions of Volkswagen cars.
Four former managers at the German auto giant who have been on trial before the Braunschweig regional court for almost four years, on charges of commercial and organised fraud, will find out their fate on Monday.
Prosecutors identified a long-time head of Volkswagen powertrain technology, a former head of development for Volkswagen's core brand, and a former senior manager in diesel engine development as perpetrators, demanding prison sentences ranging from three to four years.
The fourth defendant, a former department head for diesel emissions control, is accused of acting as an accomplice, with prosecutors demanding a two-year suspended sentence.
His defence team believes that a warning is sufficient. The lawyers of the other men have pleaded for acquittal.
The massive case dates back to September 2015, when it was discovered in the US that Volkswagen had installed software in its diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests.
The scandal, known globally as Dieselgate, plunged the Wolfsburg-based carmaker into a deep crisis.
It led to countless lawsuits and costs that the company has estimated at over $US34 billion ($A52 billion).
The four defendants have been on trial since September 2021. In their more than four-hour closing arguments at the end of April, prosecutors stated that the men had been proven guilty of fraud.
Originally, former Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn was also supposed to be on trial.
However, his case was separated before the trial began due to health reasons.
At the start of his own trial in September 2024, Winterkorn denied the allegations and rejected any responsibility for the scandal. After an accident that required medical treatment, his trial was postponed again.
Once Germany's highest-paid business executive, Winterkorn stepped down in the wake of the scandal but denied any personal culpability in the scheme.
Prosecutors alleged in court that Winterkorn knew details about the illegal software by May 2014 at the latest, earlier than the former executive has acknowledged.
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