Volkswagen emissions scandal: Former managers sentenced
Although it will soon be 10 years since one of the biggest scandals in the automotive industry's history erupted, its echoes have not yet faded. The court in Brunswick has just announced sentences for four former employees.
The conclusion of the trial, which spanned more than three years, represents a symbolic closure of one of the key threads of the scandal. However, the case is still ongoing, with other proceedings related to fraud committed by the Volkswagen Group concerning emissions being conducted simultaneously.
It has been established that the German giant used software that enabled it to deceive laboratory devices used for testing nitrogen oxide emissions, thus producing results that bore little resemblance to reality.
The matter was brought to light in 2015, which, in the ensuing years, led to numerous trials, multi-billion-pound fines, and caused diesel vehicles, beyond just those produced by Volkswagen, to be scrutinised.
The court in Brunswick, when announcing the sentences for the four managers involved in the case, referred to "working in an organised group." It emphasised that engineers were already aware of the existence of illegal software in 2007, and its use was kept as a company secret.
The trial concluded with severe penalties. Jens Hadler, who was responsible for the development of diesel engines from 2007 to 2011, received a sentence of 4 years and 6 months in prison. Hanno Jelden, specialising in drive system software, received a 2-year and 7-month sentence. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, the former head of component development, was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months suspended, while Thorsten D., an emissions specialist, received a 1 year and 10 months suspended sentence.
