German Police officers and prosecutors have raided the offices of automotive components producer Continental and automaker Volkswagen as part of a five-year-long diesel emissions probe.
The raids happened in several cities on Wednesday, including Hanover, Regensburg, Wolfsburg, Gifhorn, Berlin, Frankfurt and Nuremberg, a Hanover prosecutor’s office spokesperson confirmed to the German media.
Continental employees are suspected of “abetting fraud and for providing false documentation,” Reuters cited Prosecutor Oliver Eisenhauer as saying. The official said that seven engineers and two project leaders are affected by the probe.
According to local media, Continental denies that it supplied its customers with software to manipulate emissions tests, but said that it was cooperating with the authorities on their investigation.
The ‘dieselgate’ scandal that started in 2015, when it was found that Volkswagen cars sold in America had special software allowing them to mask the true level of emissions during testing.
The German car manufacturer subsequently admitted to cheating, which has resulted in lawsuits and billions in fines and compensation for customers.
In 2017, VW pleaded guilty in the US and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties. At the beginning of this year, the car giant was ordered to pay a fine of nearly $200 million to the Canadian government over the scheme.
–
GHM News Network
