BRAUNSCHWEIG (dpa-AFX) - The fraud trial to further investigate the diesel scandal at Volkswagen is starting with a delay. One of the defendants is in hospital for treatment, said the judge at the regional court in Braunschweig. He adjourned the hearing.
The judge said that the hospital stay was nothing dramatic. However, it remained unclear for the time being whether the defendant would be able to appear in court on Thursday. Without him, the charges cannot be read out. The five defendants, four men and one woman, are accused of fraud, tax evasion, and criminal advertising, among other things. The presumption of innocence applies.
The Braunschweig public prosecutor's office accuses the defendants, some of whom are former employees, of being responsible as VW executives for deceiving authorities and customers in Europe and the US for years about the emissions values of diesel vehicles.
In September 2015, it emerged that VW had falsified the measurements using hidden software codes instead of using more expensive emissions technology. VW boss Martin Winterkorn was forced out of office and the company plunged into one of its biggest crises. /bch/DP/zb
