The Volkswagen Group has released a statement saying it has “agreed with the US government to resolve criminal and federal environmental and other civil claims against the company” relating to the diesel emissions scandal.
Essentially, this means the Wolfsburg automaker has pleaded guilty to three criminal felony counts (conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and using false statements to import cars into the US), and has agreed to pay penalties and fines totalling some $4,3-billion (around R59-billion).
The plea agreement is subject to US federal court approval.
The statement said that the agreements “resolve Volkswagen’s liability under US law and are not intended to address Volkswagen’s liability, if any, under the laws or regulations of any jurisdiction outside the United States”.
The VW Group also said it agreed to “a series of measures to further strengthen its compliance and control systems, including the appointment of an independent monitor for a period of three years”.
“Volkswagen deeply regrets the behaviour that gave rise to the diesel crisis. Since all of this came to light, we have worked tirelessly to make things right for our affected customers and have already achieved some progress on this path,” said Matthias Müller, chief executive of Volkswagen Group.
“The agreements that we have reached with the US government reflect our determination to address misconduct that went against all of the values Volkswagen holds so dear. They are an important step forward for our company and all our employees,” he added.
The Volkswagen statement added that the brand “separately” agreed to pay a civil penalty of $50-million to the Civil Division of the Department of Justice to settle potential claims asserted under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), but added that the company “specifically denies any liability and expressly disputes these claims, which it is settling to avoid the uncertainty and expense of protracted litigation”.
