D he public prosecutor Braunschweig sees the responsibility for the Volkswagen diesel scandal in the enterprise management and not only in a department located. “It was not just about a department of the company, it’s about the VW AG Overall, “said senior prosecutor Klaus Ziehe.
Volkswagen had explained in its interpretation of the fine decision over a billion euros, according to the results of the investigators, there had been breaches of duty in the department of aggregate development. Ziehe countered with this: “We have deliberately not broken it down so far, because we see the VW AG as a whole in the duty.”
And he added: “We would never put a department on the pillory.” It goes in the case of administrative offense to the company and not individuals. As for the payment, he said, “One billion is a lot of money, we are satisfied with it.”
Ziehe reiterated that the criminal investigation against currently a total of 49 people at Volkswagen would be continued. And once again declared an important distinction: “There is no criminal law for companies.”
In the summer, the lawyers should be granted access to the file on suspicion of exhaust gas fraud as well as market manipulation. In the investigation of market manipulation, a decision as to whether or not an indictment is made is conceivable this year. When it comes to exhaust fraud, this is not excluded, “but not overwhelmingly likely,” Ziehe said.