Nine years after the diesel emission scandal that rocked Volkswagen AG, the man running Europe‘s biggest carmaker at the time is finally standing trial accused of fraud.
Former Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn appeared in a German court on Tuesday to defend himself against several criminal allegations in a trial that’s set to last 12 months. Along with four others, Winterkorn was charged in 2019 with fraud for having VW vehicles equipped with emissions-cheating technology.
The diesel affair sparked global outrage and triggered Winterkorn’s departure from the company in September 2015, just days after U.S. authorities disclosed their investigation. VW has paid more than €30 billion ($33 billion) over the scandal.
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