The trial against former VW boss Winterkorn in the wake of the diesel scandal has collapsed for the time being. He is said to have fallen in the shower.
The criminal trial against former VW boss Martin Winterkorn has been suspended until further notice for health reasons. Winterkorn will not be able to take part in court hearings “for at least the next few months,” the Braunschweig regional court announced on Tuesday. This was the result of an ordered medical report on the question of the 77-year-old's ability to travel and negotiate.
The responsible chamber therefore “suspended the main hearing and canceled all scheduled continuation dates”. A rescheduling of the main hearing for the first quarter of 2025 is now being examined, it said.
Last week, the court canceled two dates scheduled for the trial after it was informed of an “accident” by Winterkorn “at home.” Accordingly, the former VW boss was in hospital treatment after the accident. The court then ordered the medical report. As the “Bild” reports, citing those close to Winterkorn, he is said to have slipped in the shower and broken his right thigh.
The trial against Winterkorn in the diesel scandal began at the beginning of September. The trial was originally scheduled to begin in February 2021, but Winterkorn postponed it for health reasons. In connection with the scandal, the then Volkswagen boss is accused of commercial and gang fraud, unsworn false statements and market manipulation.
Winterkorn was VW boss from 2007 to 2015 and resigned in the wake of the emissions scandal. After investigations by US authorities, the company had to admit that it had installed an illegal defeat device in millions of diesel vehicles worldwide. The limit values for nitrogen oxide were met on the test bench, but not in real operation on the road. The vehicles should not have been registered.
Winterkorn testified extensively on the second day of the trial in September. He denied having known about the use of the fraud software before it became public knowledge.
