Four convicted in Diesel Emissions Scandal, Four Farmers Implicated
Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Scandal Trial Concludes in Braunschweig
A court in Braunschweig, Germany, has delivered a verdict in a trial related to the diesel emissions scandal involving Volkswagen vehicles, following four years and 174 court days. Four former Volkswagen managers and engineers were found guilty in the case.
The former head of diesel engine development, Jens H., was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The former head of powertrain electronics, Hanno J., received a sentence of two years and seven months. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, a former development board member of the VW brand, was given a suspended sentence of one year and three months. A former department head was sentenced to one year and ten months on probation.
German automotive expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer expressed disappointment with the verdict, referring to the convicted individuals as "scapegoats." Dudenhöffer stated, "It seems unrealistic for a CEO like Martin Winterkorn, who is supposed to know every bolt in every car, to be unaware of the biggest fraud. Therefore, I find the verdict disappointing. The board members should have been put on trial, not individual engineers who were just following orders."
The Dieselgate scandal first came to light in the United States in 2015, and former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn was indicted for conspiracy to commit fraud by the US Justice Department in May 2018. However, Winterkorn denies any wrongdoing and claims to have been unaware of the emissions manipulations. The trial in Braunschweig took place without Winterkorn, as his case was postponed due to health issues.
The question of who knew what and when was not fully answered in the trial, with the four convicted former VW engineers blaming each other and their former top boss, Winterkorn. The responsible party for the diesel scandal at Volkswagen, according to presiding judge Christian Schütz, extends beyond the convicted former executives to many people involved in developing the affected engines.
It was reported that further individuals with key roles in the scandal have not been charged. During the trial, the judge expressed concerns about the accuracy of some witness testimonies, as they were partly involved in the scandal themselves.
The Dieselgate scandal led to the development and implementation of emissions-cheating software in Volkswagen vehicles, resulting in a global case of fraud and deception. In addition to the individuals directly involved in the scandal, key figures such as Martin Winterkorn and other top executives are being investigated for their roles in the case.
What about the role of technology in this Dieselgate scandal? Was the cheating software a result of a technological breakdown or a deliberate use by the engineers? Furthermore, how did the technology used in controlling emissions evolve from being reliable to being manipulated in this way?
