automobile
Witness in the VW diesel process: “The topic had a certain shame limit”
Four former VW executives are being tried before the Braunschweig Regional Court. Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
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For more than six months, four defendants in Braunschweig have had to answer for commercial and gang fraud, among other things.
In the Diesel criminal case against four former Volkswagen executives, another witness gave his view of the fraud scandal at the car manufacturer.
Things like switching logic and acoustic function were not discussed in the canteen, the development engineer said on Tuesday before the Braunschweig regional court. “The topic had a certain shame limit,” said the 59-year-old.
In the context of the “Dieselgate” investigations, the terms switching logic and acoustic function are considered a kind of cover for the exhaust gas fraud program. Before or after meetings, one could hear one or the other conversation in the corridors, the witness said. But these were often just scraps of words. It was only later that he understood that exposure to soot caused problems in “honest operations”.
The four accused are accused, among other things, of commercial and gang fraud with deceptive programs in the exhaust gas control of millions of diesel cars. Seven months ago, the court decided not to include ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn in the first complex of negotiations based on a medical report. Even then there were signs of a tough progress.
The message from Tuesday seemed to be an important concern for the witness that the machinations at the car manufacturer at the time were not widely and openly discussed. “Many colleagues found out about it from the press,” reported the developer. The trial is set to continue with further witness interviews. Overall, the criminal court has scheduled appointments up to the summer of 2023.