German Authorites Question Volkswagen About Missing Documents

German prosecutors said Thursday that they were investigating whether a Volkswagen manager encouraged employees to destroy or remove documents last year, shortly before the Environmental Protection Agency publicly accused the carmaker of illegally manipulating emissions tests in the United States.

Volkswagen employees have told investigators that a person in a supervisory position sent clear signals in August 2015 that they should remove evidence. While the person wasn’t explicit, “everyone understood,” said Klaus Ziehe, a spokesman for the state’s attorney in Braunschweig, Germany

The investigation, previously reported by several German news organizations, could raise the stakes for Volkswagen, which is already under intense scrutiny by authorities in the United States, Germany and other countries.

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MDarringer - 6/10/2016 12:17:06 PM

+1 Boost

There is no truth to the rumor that VW hired Hillary Clinton as a consultant.

Dexter1 - 6/10/2016 12:29:45 PM

+1 Boost

HA HA HA HA. Good one.

TheSteve - 6/10/2016 12:49:48 PM

+1 Boost

Does anyone here recall the stories VW told us since day 1, and the discoveries we've made about VW?
- "This is not who we are": VW Exec <--- OF PARTICULAR NOTICE!!!
- This was perpetrated by a handful of rogue engineers (paraphrased)
- This was perpetrated by a couple dozen rogue engineers (paraphrased)
- This was perpetrated by fewer than a hundred rogue engineers (paraphrased)
- Um, we falsified fuel economy numbers, too
- Um, and CO2 emission numbers
- Ooops, falsifying CO2 emissions means we're also on the hook for tax evasion in countries that tax car owners annually based on CO2 emissions. Lawsuits have been filed.
- Um, and we imported over 40,000 units into Mexico with falsified emissions and noise documents
- VW withdraws 2016 diesels from certification (because authorities would have discovered cheat devices there, too)
- Investigation proves that VW is ruled through a systemic culture of intimidation and fear.
- Yeah, our South Korean arm falsified emissions and noise number to sell there, too
- We're fully cooperating with authorities. (Meanwhile US authorities say they're being stonewalled by VW every step of the way.)
- VW doesn't deny withholding documents from US authorities, citing German law (but their PR still boasts they are "fully cooperating" with authorities)
- Our VW Execs knew nothing of this! (Meanwhile, email audit trails show they were in the loop from the beginning, over a decade ago)

Speaking only for myself, I don't believe "This is not who we are." It seems we know who VW is, and it comes as no surprise that VW has gone to extremes to try to hide the document trail that shows this.

Honesty. Transparency. Ethics. Fairness. Caring for customers and employees. This is *NOT* the stuff VW is made of :-(

______
Disclosure: I am the owner of a 2015 Audi Q5 3.0L diesel, and it is affected by Dieselgate. Audi is part of the Volkswagen Audi Group, also known as VAG. I love my car. I do not love the company or "group" who made it.