Facing the Music: Defendants in VW Emissions Scandal See Themselves as Scapegoats
Defendants in the Volkswagen Exhaust Emissions Deception View themselves as wrongly accused
The final chapter is nigh for the four defendants entangled in the Volkswagen emissions scandal—a saga that's stretched their lives for nine tumultuous years. In their closing remarks before the Braunschweig Regional Court, these ex-managers and engineers, now facing the possibility of jail time, emphatically denounced the charges against them and accused the investigation of making them scapegoats.
Having lived through an emotionally draining trial, the defendants described the past four years as exhausting. The verdict could come as early as next Monday, with the prosecution demanding prison sentences of up to four years for three of the defendants [1][2]. The defense, in a surprising turn, pled for acquittals and leniency [1].
These men are taken aback by the requested sentence, a decade after the scandal broke [1]. They found the defense pleas for the other defendants nothing short of irritating and shocking [2]. The trial, from the start, has been a battle of words, with little tangible evidence to solidify the claims against the accused [2].
The Volkswagen emissions scandal, also known as "Dieselgate," began in September 2015 when the company admitted to manipulating emissions by installing software designed to deceive during emissions tests. The software allowed the cars to meet legal requirements only during testing [3][4].
The defendants maintain their innocence, insisting they were not privy to any illegal actions [2][3]. The trial has been colored by confidentiality agreements and conflicting testimonies, with engineers claiming they warned of the consequences of the defeat devices, while their superiors asserted that discussions revolved around issues but never transgressed into illegal territory [3].
The absence of former CEO Martin Winterkorn, whose case was separated due to health reasons, has been a significant bone of contention for the defendants [3].
[1] ntv.de, lar/dpa
[2] Reuters, M. Keller
[3] German Wise, S. Papp
[4] Financial Times, S. Schenker
- Scandal
- Automotive Industry
- Affairs and Scandals
- Justice
- Trials
- VW Emissions Scandal
- Dieselgate
- Despite the approaching verdict in the Volkswagen emissions scandal, the defendants view themselves as unwitting scapegoats within the automotive industry's general-news and affairs and scandals, with the trial relying more on a battle of words rather than tangible evidence.
- As the aftermath of the Dieselgate scandal continues to unfold, the defendants,строительство resonating with the finance sector, express concerns over the potential imprisonment, finding the prosecution's requests for lengthy sentences far removed from the reality of their employment policy during the period in question.
