Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board is preparing a claim against former CEO Martin Winterkorn and former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, the car manufacturer said. It is not clear how much money is involved.
After an extensive legal investigation, which has been running since 2015, the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen concludes that both Winterkorn and Stadler as responsible drivers have violated their duty of care under corporate law. The investigation involved all members of the Board of Directors in office at the time Dieselgate came to light, but only Winterkorn and Stadler have been found guilty. Incidentally, there is also lower management at Audi and Porsche that may be expected to pay compensation for violating the duty of care.
Both directors are concerned that they did not act adequately in that situation and withheld certain information that was important to the authorities. Winterkorn is accused of providing the US authorities with incorrect, late and incomplete answers to questions about the manipulation of the 2.0 TDI’s emissions. At Stadler, the point is that he did not have the 3.0 and 4.2 TDI engines examined for the ‘cheating software’. The height of the claim that will ultimately await both men is not yet known. It is expected that this will lead to another long-term legal feud. The total damage from the Dieselgate scandal now amounts to more than 32 billion euros for Volkswagen.
Earlier, the court in Braunschweig Winterkorn, Germany, acquitted of market manipulation, but he is currently still being prosecuted for other charges. Winterkorn’s lawyers leave according to a news agency Reuters know in a statement that Winterkorn regrets Volkswagen’s decision regarding the compensation. “Winterkorn is aware that the Supervisory Board must investigate and determine possible claims. He will therefore enter into talks with Volkswagen AG to clarify these questions.” Stadler’s lawyers refused to respond.