In the investigation into a possible involvement of Continental in the VW emissions scandal there is another confession. At the request of the Reuters news agency, the Hanover public prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday that the proceedings against another former employee of the automotive supplier had been temporarily suspended against payment of a monetary condition. The previously announced procedure against a technical employee was finally discontinued after the payment of a monetary condition. Both accused confessed.
The investigations against the 59 suspects would continue, the investigating authority said. The suspicion against other suspects have increased. The authority announced in April that a technical project manager had shared his involvement and knowledge of the defeat device in the 1.6-liter diesel engine EA 189 from Volkswagen comprehensively admitted and incriminated other accused. The leniency program will be applied to him.
Investigations also against former top managers
Continental has given the clarification of the exhaust gas manipulation top priority. The compliance expert Olaf Schick brought in from Mercedes-Benz wants to align the control systems in such a way that such incidents do not recur. “We are realigning the control systems so that such issues do not arise again,” Schick told journalists on the sidelines of an event. “It is clear that we are putting a stronger focus on enforcing rules,” he added. The aim is to promote prevention work in order to deal with the risks professionally.
The public prosecutor’s office had expanded their investigations in November to include former top managers at Conti. Ex-CEO Elmar Degenhart, CFO Wolfgang Schäfer, who was dismissed because of the allegations, and another former board member are affected. As a reaction, the Lower Saxony brought Schick on board a short time later in order to revise the system for adhering to the rules of good corporate management (compliance) in the group. “It’s important to send a signal that you have good governance,” said the manager. When making investment decisions, investors attach great importance to a functioning compliance system. Violations or negligence in dealing with laws can be expensive. The penalties range from high fines to imprisonment and the associated damage to image.
In September, Conti admitted that car manufacturers had been supplied with contaminated parts for air conditioning systems for years and that test results had been manipulated. Internal checks also revealed discrepancies in the testing of industrial hoses. Most recently, Conti made negative headlines with a hacker attack on its IT.