Trial of former Volkswagen boss suspended due to ill health

The trial of former Volkswagen chief executive, Martin Winterkorn, has been delayed due to his poor health.

Winterkorn resigned as the boss of the company in 2015, after it was revealed that vehicle emissions had been manipulated to meet environmental standards – the so-called ‘dieselgate’ scandal.

Reuters reports that a court in Germany announced yesterday (Tuesday, October 1) that he will not be fit to attend in the next few months and the trial is expected to start again during the first quarter of 2025.

The 77-year-old faces charges of fraud, market manipulation and unlawful false testimony before a parliamentary committee.

He is also alleged to have failed to inform the capital market in good time about the mass manipulation of diesel engines in 2015.

Winterkorn said via his lawyer at the start of the trial in September 2023, that he “did not defraud or harm anyone” and “did not deliberately leave the capital market in the dark so that investors would be harmed”.

The former boss of Audi and Volkswagen Group board member, Rupert Stadler, was sentenced for his involvement in the 2015 dieselgate emissions scandal, last year. 

Stadler received a suspended sentence of one year and nine months, as well as €1.1 million (£940,000) for fraud by negligence.

Stadler’s lawyer said that, while he did not know vehicles had been manipulated, he did recognise it was a possibility and accepted there was need for more care.

Stadler had previously rejected any allegations of involvement or visibility of the dieselgate scandal.

The judge handed out a lesser sentence due to the confession.

Stadler was the first former Volkswagen Group board member to admit knowledge of the diesel manipulation measures through the use of illegal software, admitting regret and failure to stop manipulated cars from going on sale.