Washington : The US government late on Thursday filed charges against the former executive of Volkswagen (VW), Martin Winterkorn, who resigned in 2015 after the emissions scandal, also known as “dieselgate” erupted in September of that year.
In an indictment unsealed by the US Department of Justice in a Michigan federal court, Winterkorn was charged with “conspiracy and wire fraud in connection with VW’s long-running scheme to cheat US diesel vehicle emissions requirements”, Efe reported.
Winterkorn is Volkswagen’s highest-ranking executive to be charged in a probe into the German firm, which “deceived US regulators and defrauded US consumers for years,” said a statement. VW’s false representations to regulators and the public about the ability of VW’s supposedly “clean diesel” vehicles to comply with US emissions requirements affected about 600,000 vehicles.