US investigators have apparently interviewed VW boss Herbert Diess because of the diesel scandal. A direct connection with the US indictment Martin Winterkorns does not exist according to the news agency Reuters.
VW boss Herbert Diess
Tuesday, 08.05.2018
16:01 clock
The new Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess has testified according to information from group circles before the US investigative authorities because of the diesel scandal. There have been talks with authorities, a senior insider told Reuters. These would be several months back. What exactly was the talks, is still unclear.
Previously, the “Bild” newspaper had reported that Diess had made statements to US investigators of the FBI, which apparently rated these as stressful for Winterkorn. This relationship was rejected by the insider. Volkswagen initially did not comment on the reports.
Last week, the US judiciary had announced that it had filed charges in March against the former VW boss Winterkorn because of the conspiracy to commit fraud.
In 2015, it was revealed that VW had manipulated the pollutant software in their cars on a large scale for years. As a result, the former VW boss Martin Winterkorn had to go.
US prosecutors secure this safe conduct
Herbert diess had switched to VW, shortly before the diesel scandal came to the public. So far, no misconduct has been blamed in connection with the affair. He is currently traveling to the US, without fear of being arrested,
Diess has spent more than two decades in the German automotive industry, including at Robert Bosch and BMW. As a new employee at VW Diess on 27 July 2015 in Wolfsburg in the so-called “damage table” part. VW had already acknowledged in 2016 that senior management was explaining the problems with excessive emissions in the US.
This meeting was the key moment of a plot – one in which Martin Winterkorn “approved the continued concealment of the fraud software from the US regulators,” the prosecutors in the prosecution write against the former CEO, Since Diess attended this meeting, he knew what Winterkorn and others said at the meeting.
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