Press Article: Volkswagen Executives Found Guilty in Dieselgate Scandal
Braunschweig, Germany – May 26, 2025
In a significant legal development in the "Dieselgate" emissions-cheating scandal, four former Volkswagen executives have been convicted of fraud for their involvement in the scandal that rocked the automotive industry a decade ago. The verdict was delivered by judges at the Commercial Criminal Chamber in Braunschweig.
The former head of diesel development received a sentence of four and a half years in prison, while the head of drive train electronics was sentenced to two years and seven months. Two additional defendants were handed suspended sentences of 15 months and 10 months. Each of these individuals was instrumental in overseeing various aspects of Volkswagen’s engine technology.
The scandal first erupted in 2015 when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accused Volkswagen of using dishonest engine control software to pass emissions tests, allowing diesel vehicles to emit pollutants far beyond legal limits during actual road use. Since then, Volkswagen has incurred more than €33 billion in fines and compensation payments to affected vehicle owners.
Despite the verdict concluding a four-year trial, the legal saga is not over. The convicted individuals have a week to appeal the sentences, and prosecutors are probing deeper into the extent of the company’s knowledge regarding the emissions fraud. Furthermore, several other criminal proceedings related to the scandal are still pending.
Notably, former Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn was expected to face trial, but his case was separated in September 2021 due to health concerns that prevented him from appearing in court.
As the legal repercussions of Dieselgate continue to unfold, the scandal serves as a stark reminder of the paramount importance of ethics in the automotive sector.
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