German prosecutors have announced that former CEO of the Volkswagen Group, Martin Winterkorn, is under criminal investigation and could face up to five years in prison for his alleged role in the emissions scandal.
In addition, the prosecutor’s office in Brunswick revealed that a current member of the management board is also being investigated for market manipulation, without revealing his name.
The prosecutors made a point of noting that current chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch is not being probed. However, multiple reports in the German media suggest Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand chairman Herbert Diess is the second person under investigation.
Winterkorn, of course, quit his post in September 2015, soon after the German automaker admitted it had used software to rig emissions tests on numerous diesel engines. At the time, he insisted that he had done nothing wrong, adding that his resignation was simply meant to clear the way “for a fresh start”.
The Volkswagen Group released a statement in response to the news, saying the announcement “does not cite any new facts or information on any serious breaches of duty by the members of the board of management now accused”.
It added that, according to its legal reviews and “information currently available, no serious and manifest breaches of duty on the part of any serving or former members of the board of management have been established”.
