The Braunschweig district court temporarily stopped the criminal proceedings for the VW diesel affair against ex-corporate boss Martin Winterkorn (78) because of its ongoing illness. The 16th criminal chamber sees this a temporary obstacle to procedures. According to the court, Winterkorn is currently considered to be incapable of negotiating.
The Chamber of Commerce will continue to check with an expert whether Winterkorn was again negotiable, the district court said. If this occurs, the procedure will continue.
The criminal trial against Winterkorn in Braunschweig started in September 2024. The previous one Volkswagen-The boss is accused of the procedure in front of the business criminal chamber of commercial fraud, market manipulation and wrongly false statements. The presumption of innocence applies.
At the start of the process, Winterkorn denied any guilt. “Our client decisively rejects the allegations raised against him,” said his defender Felix Dörr. Winterkorn is neither the “main defendant” nor the “main person responsible” for the diesel scandal at the Wolfsburg car manufacturer nine years ago.
“Dieselgate” was blown up in September 2015 by research by US environmental authorities and scientists and swept Winterkorn out of office. The board took over the political responsibility with its resignation, but rejected behavior that is relevant under criminal law. At the beginning of the trial, defense lawyer Dörr pointed out that criminal law required the proof of personal guilt of every defendant.