Martin Winterkorn, former CEO of the Volkswagen Group, is still out of court... for health reasons.
The long-awaited criminal trial of Martin Winterkorn, accused of orchestrating the infamous “Dieselgate”, has been suspended. The reason? Poor health, which will apparently prevent him from appearing in court in the coming months. Well done, Mr Winterkorn! When it's not the law, it's the body that's the problem.
A trial that drags on... like an old diesel
Originally scheduled for this fall, the trial could now start in the first quarter of 2025, Martin Winterkorn's health permitting, of course. After all, it's not as if the scandal that shook the global automotive industry was almost 10 years ago... No, it's better to take one's time, and why not wait until electric motors completely replace rigged diesels before dispensing justice? Or until the accused is dead.
Fraud, market manipulation and perjury... but the CEO is innocent, of course!
The charges against the former CEO are serious: fraud, market manipulation and perjury before a parliamentary committee. But Martin Winterkorn, via his lawyer, is not backing down. According to him, he “neither defrauded nor harmed anyone” and he “did not deliberately keep the market in the dark”.
Ah, the famous strategy of involuntary blindness, a classic of high-profile cases. “I didn't see anything, I didn't hear anything, all I did was run Europe's biggest carmaker, without really knowing what was going on.” A model of a good boss
Volkswagen: from scandal to plant closures?
While Winterkorn is putting off his rendez-vous with the courts, Volkswagen has its own worries. Between ever-increasing Chinese competition and a slowing European market for electric vehicles, the group is considering plant closures and massive layoffs. Ironically, the brand that gambled on rigged engines to comply with ecological standards finds itself struggling to remain competitive in a world increasingly geared towards electric vehicles.
In short, while Volkswagen fights for its future and Europe seeks to ban diesel, Martin Winterkorn is stalling. Perhaps by the time the trial begins in 2025, we'll finally have a diesel-free planet... and the scandals that go with it.