Slowly but surely, the criminal investigation into the Volkswagen diesel scandal is becoming a never-ending story for Lower Saxony’s criminal justice system. Almost a week and a half before the planned new edition of the fraud trial against former CEO Martin Winterkorn, the criminal chamber in Braunschweig canceled all main hearing dates on Thursday. New dates? Doesn’t exist. At best, the statement in a statement from the court said that Winterkorn would not appear in Braunschweig “for at least the next few months.” A verdict in the parallel, first fraud trial against other VW managers? Could become apparent in the fourth year of the trial. But everyone involved in the process has already had to learn the hard way that months can quickly turn into years. The judiciary’s duty of care. For purely health reasons, the situation is clear. The judges rely on the statements of the experts when taking their snapshot. In doing so, they are once again fulfilling their duty of care towards Winterkorn, who is now 77 years old and is in poor health. The chances that his physical constitution will change quickly and that he will therefore be able to stand trial at all seem to be dwindling. And with every passing day the pressure on judges and public prosecutors grows.More on the topicBecause by next September at the latest, possible violations of the Securities Trading Act from the scandal fall of 2015 will expire. For major investors, private investors and banks, this means: Whether Winterkorn was wrong about the extent of the… Anyone who informed about emissions fraud or even lied to them may never be prosecuted. If this assessment is omitted without replacement, some plaintiffs could be missing an important argument in their claim for damages against Volkswagen and Winterkorn. No video proceedings possible. In addition, parts of the public are likely to be confirmed in their criticism of a justice system – as was recently the case with Warburg banker Christian Olearius see in which influential managers in the emissions scandal may get away with having their criminal proceedings dropped, while sick, delinquent ordinary citizens rarely receive such treatment experienced.And in this context the question should once again be asked of the legislature: When can criminal trials finally be conducted via video hearings or digitally?
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