Martin Winterkorn
The ex-VW boss is accused of the diesel manipulations knew, but these have covered.
(Photo: AP)
Dusseldorf, Berlin The criminal case against the former VW-Vorstandschef Martin Winterkorn could become an infinite story. First, the district court of Brunswick must decide whether it is the charges against the 71-year-old and four other former VWManager at all.
If it comes to a process, threatens a year-long path through the instances. Winterkorn is likely to go to the Federal Court, regularly his lawyer has rejected the allegations.
On Monday, the prosecutor Braunschweig Winterkorn and four other ex-executives from the technical development of Volkswagen charged with serious fraud, The investigators are telling them for the manipulation of hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles to be responsible.
The trial in the first instance before the Braunschweig district court is expected to start at the earliest at the beginning of next year. “The lawsuit has been received and is now being thoroughly reviewed,” a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Given the abundance of documents to be audited, it is unlikely that the process will start this year. In addition, the district court in principle also has the opportunity to reject the prosecution’s charges.
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At the district court now begins the so-called intermediate procedure. In it, the accused and their defenders receive the indictment. They will have the opportunity to comment on allegations made by the Public Prosecutor. Because of the expected great public interest should also be examined whether at a Prozesseröffnung the premises of the court sufficient or if one must move to other rooms.
Politics welcomes indictment
The model claim of VW shareholders is being negotiated because of the great interest, for example, in the city hall of Brunswick and not in the courthouse. In political Berlin the charges are against Winterkorn on approval. Green Group Vice Oliver Krischer called the prosecution against Winterkorn “right and consistent”.
Comment: Ex-VW boss Winterkorn now has one last chance to tell the truth
“It is overdue that the formerly almighty VW boss finally has to face his responsibility“Krischer said. “The fact that the exhaust gas manipulation should have taken place without the knowledge and help of Winterkorn, is completely unreliable.” This was already suggested by earlier investigation results of the US-Justice. “No one takes Winterkorn more from the role of innocence from the country, which he most recently played in the Exhaustive Examination Committee of the Bundestag,” said the Green Party politician.
Krischer sees the charge against Winterkorn at the same time as a “wake-up call” for the federal government, to punish the “machinations of the manufacturers”. Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) has the opportunity to order fines and hardware upgrades. The European Commission also expressly demands that, says Krischer.
The vice chief of the FDPFederal Parliamentary Group, Frank Sitta, sees the Winterkorn case as a signal to politicians to be “significantly more critical” in dealing with the auto industry than in the past. “The combination of state and industry interests, such as prevails at Volkswagen, is certainly problematic,” said Sitta the Handelsblatt.
More critical approach to the auto industry
Critically he sees FDP-Politiker that VW boss Herbert Diess had demanded with a view to the electric mobility “cocky”, the state should support the e-strategy with tax revenue. “By the way, that would not be any better if individual companies were declared inviolable champions by the federal government,” warned Sitta.
Diesel affair: The Winterkorn case – and the first indictment in the diesel scandal in Germany
“I see the participation of the state of Lower Saxony in VW for a long time critical,” said Joachim Pfeiffer (CDU), economic spokesman for the Union Group, Recent developments at VW confirmed that the state is not the better entrepreneur or better controller.
This contradicted Bernd Westphal, economic policy spokesman for SPD in the Bundestag. “If there is criminal potential and intent to violate laws, co-determination and its control function are overwhelmed.”
Nevertheless, now in the works council and supervisory board “at VW the right questions should be asked and developed a reliable strategy for the future of the Group,” said Westphal. “The participation of the state of Lower Saxony is not a hindrance, but must also be used properly.”
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