Former VW Chief Goes on Trial Nine Years After Dieselgate
Martin Winterkorn will face charges of fraud and false advertising
Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn will go on trial in Germany on Monday, nine years after the scandal over the company's rigged diesel emissions tests broke.
Winterkorn is accused of fraud and false advertising for his role in the scandal, which saw Volkswagen install software in its vehicles that allowed them to cheat on emissions tests.
The trial is expected to last several months and will be one of the most high-profile corporate criminal trials in German history.
Background: what happened during dieselgate?
In September 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accused Volkswagen of installing software in its vehicles that allowed them to cheat on emissions tests.
The software detected when the vehicles were being tested and turned on emissions controls, making the cars appear to be cleaner than they actually were.
Volkswagen admitted to installing the software in 11 million vehicles worldwide, including 500,000 in the United States.
Impact of Dieselgate for Volkswagen
The scandal has had a major impact on Volkswagen, both financially and reputationally.
The company has paid billions of dollars in fines and settlements, and its sales have suffered.
Volkswagen has also been forced to recall millions of vehicles and has had to invest heavily in new, cleaner technology.
Winterkorn's role in the scandal
Winterkorn was CEO of Volkswagen from 2007 to 2015, the period during which the dieselgate scandal took place.
Prosecutors allege that Winterkorn was aware of the software and that he did not do enough to stop it from being installed in vehicles.
Winterkorn has denied the charges.
