VW trial Criminal trial against former VW boss Winterkorn postponed

The continuation of the criminal trial against former VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn in the diesel affair has been postponed. The criminal chamber has been informed that the 77-year-old is in hospital following an accident, according to the Braunschweig Regional Court.

As a result, the trial dates for this Wednesday and Thursday have been canceled. The court did not wish to disclose any further details about the accident at home or Winterkorn's current state of health on Monday. It is therefore unclear whether and when the trial will continue.

The trial against Winterkorn began in early September, nine years after the emissions manipulations at VW were discovered. He denied any guilt. "Our client firmly rejects the allegations made against him. We are confident that we will achieve a good result for our client," said defense lawyer Felix Dörr.

The 77-year-old is accused of commercial fraud, market manipulation and unsworn false statements before the Economic Criminal Chamber. Winterkorn is alleged to have deceived VW buyers about the quality of the cars and, in the crucial days of September 2015, deliberately failed to inform the capital market in good time about the risks of penalty payments.

In 2017, he allegedly gave false testimony to the Bundestag's committee of inquiry. For the defense, however, it is clear that Winterkorn "did not deceive" and "did not harm anyone". Nor did he deliberately leave the capital market in the dark or tell the Bundestag committee of inquiry the truth. The presumption of innocence applies.

Winterkorn was actually supposed to sit in the dock with four other ex-VW managers and engineers in the first major fraud trial in Braunschweig. However, shortly before the start of this trial in 2021, his complex was severed for health reasons and should now be made up for. Almost 90 dates were scheduled for the criminal trial until September 2025.

SDA