Volkswagen Wraps Dieselgate Investigation, To Seek Damages From Former CEOs

The Volkswagen Group has finally wrapped internal investigation in the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal that went on for several years. The automaker has now decided to seek compensation from two former CEOs. It has sought damages from former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler and former CEO Martin Winterkorn. This was one of the biggest financial damages for the company which ultimately resulted in the emissions cheating scandal. The law firm working for Volkswagen had to go through 65 petabytes of data including. The German automaker said that about 1.6 million documents were found to be relevant and were screened and reviewed by the law firm.

Volkswagen said that the internal probe conducted by the company was by far the most complex and comprehensive investigation in German economic history. It was found after the investigation that both the executives had breached their duty of care. The company said that no other management board members were involved in it. Winterkorn and Stadler have denied being responsible for the scandal. After the news about the scandal broke in September 2015, Winterkorn had resigned from the post. He was later arrested in Germany. Winterkorn was accused of not only knowing about the use of illegal software to fool regulators but also sitting on the report by Environmental Protection Agency. He will also be tried on charges of serious tax evasion and organised commercial fraud.

The company said Winterkorn failed to act in a responsible manner. Stadler too was arrested in Germany. The development forced Audi to push back the launch of its first all-electric car. It has been trying hard for all these past years to distance itself from the Dieselgate scandal. The scandal costs Volkswagen around USD 30 billion in compensation, fines, and legal costs. The company tried to blame several individual actors for this scandal. The development comes at a time when Volkswagen has shifted all its focus towards electric vehicles. The company has increased its investment to USD 86 billion for this.