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diesel emissions scandal

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Martin Winterkorn, the former chief executive of the German auto maker Volkswagen, has been charged in Germany over his involvement in the company’s diesel emissions scandal.

The public prosecutor in Braunschweig charged him and four other managers with fraud.

The auto maker said it would not comment on the indictments.

Martin Winterkorn, 71, is already facing criminal charges in the US, but is unlikely to face trial, as Germany does not extradite its citizens.

He resigned soon after the so called Dieselgate scandal erupted in September 2015.

In a statement, prosecutors accused Martin Winterkorn of a “particularly serious” fraud, as well as a breach of competition laws.

They said the former VW boss should have alerted car owners and authorities in Europe and the US about the manipulation of diesel emissions tests sooner.

They also accused Martin Winterkorn of approving a “useless” software update designed to conceal the true reason for the cars’ higher emission levels.

If found guilty, Martin Winterkorn could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

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Prosecutors did not name the other four senior managers charged.

VW first admitted in September 2015 that it had used illegal software to cheat US emissions tests.

The devices, which allowed cars to perform better in test conditions than they did on the road, were installed on almost 600,000 vehicles sold in the US from 2009 though 2015 and millions more globally.

They came to light after a study of emissions by researchers at West Virginia University in the US.

The Dieselgate scandal sparked investigations in Germany and other countries.

To date, the emissions scandal has cost Volkswagen roughly €28 billion, ($31 billion).

Last month, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued VW and Martin Winterkorn, accusing the company of “massive fraud” over the emissions scandal.

The SEC claims VW misled investors by issuing billions of dollars worth of bonds and securities, without disclosing that it had cheated emissions tests.

VW said it would contest the SEC lawsuit vigorously.

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VW has pleaded guilty to three charges as part of a $4.3 billion agreement with the US authorities over the diesel emissions scandal.

The automaker has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud, obstruction of justice and entry of goods by false statement.

VW general counsel Manfred Doess told a court in Detroit the company was “guilty on all three counts“.

Manfred Doess said the criminal acts occurred in both Germany and the United States.

Volkswagen admitted that vehicles were fitted with illegal software which allowed them to cheat emissions tests over a six-year period.

John Neal, an assistant US attorney, told the district court that the scheme “was a well thought-out, planned offensive that went to the top of the organization”.

Under the deal with the DoJ, VW agreed to major reforms and scrutiny by an independent monitor for three years after admitting to installing the secret software in 580,000 US vehicles.

The devices enabled VW’s diesel vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution.

Accepting VW’s guilty plea, district judge Sean Cox said: “This was a very, very serious crime.”

VW has agreed to change the way it operates in the United States and other countries as part of the settlement.

In January 2017, VW agreed to pay $4.3 billion in US civil and criminal fines.

A company spokeswoman said it “deeply regrets the behavior that gave rise to the diesel crisis”.

Since the emissions scandal broke in September 2015, VW has agreed to pay about $25 billion to address claims from owners, regulators, states and dealers in the US.

VW has come under pressure to pay compensation in other markets too.

However, the fallout from the scandal has not stopped VW from growing its sales. In 2016, VW overtook Toyota as the world’s best-selling car maker.

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