Nine years after the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal became public, former Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn is going to trial in Braunschweig, north Germany. The 77-year-old faces accusations that he was aware of the rigging for years before the news was made public, both supporting and turning a blind eye to its continuation. He has also been accused of trying to shield the public from the scandal and engaging in an active cover-up. According to the 600-page court documents, such behaviour constitutes fraud and market manipulation under German law. He has also been accused of knowingly providing illegal false testimony before a 2017 parliamentary committee that was investigating the scandal.
