Public Prosecutor's Office: Suspected Tax Evasion

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

The Braunschweig public prosecutor's office is now investigating suspicion of tax evasion because of the VW emissions scandal. There are proceedings against five suspects, according to the prosecution.

The Braunschweig public prosecutor has expanded its investigation into the VW emissions scandal and is now also examining suspected tax evasion. Additional proceedings against five suspects in connection with the false CO2 information had been opened, said Chief Public Prosecutor Klaus Ziehe on Tuesday.

The prosecutors have been investigating in another procedure for several weeks, including suspected fraud. The NDR, the WDR and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" also reported on the second, now started procedure. "There are currently five suspects in whom an initial suspicion of criminal offenses has been affirmed," reported Ziehe. They came "from the area of the VW group".

Vehicle tax too low

A car's carbon dioxide emissions are an important criterion for calculating vehicle tax. If - as Volkswagen announced at the beginning of November - the values given here were too low, the state could have suffered corresponding damage from insufficient tax payments. "That is the leading consideration."

The Brunswick Prosecution had already initiated investigations and raids on the manipulation of nitrogen oxide readings in diesel engines, initially admitted by VW in September. Three weeks ago, the carmaker announced that there had also been "irregularities" with carbon dioxide emissions. The public prosecutor's office then only initiated preliminary investigations, which now led to another preliminary investigation.

This gives the affair a bigger criminal dimension - one day after the scandal had spread again. On Monday, the group admitted that forbidden software for lower emissions has also been used in larger diesel cars from VW and the group subsidiaries Audi and Porsche. Audi admitted installing a program in 3.0-liter TDI engines that is considered illegal cheat software in the United States. So far, the company in the USA had only admitted that it had deliberately tricked 2.0-liter engines.

When the emissions scandal started rolling in September, the later resigned VW boss Martin Winterkorn quickly made a comprehensive admission of guilt on behalf of the group. The allegations made by the US environmental authorities EPA and CARB against the larger engine developed by the Audi subsidiary had so far always been denied. Audi defended its own boss Rupert Stadler against criticism on Tuesday. "Mr. Stadler is pushing the education with great emphasis personally," said a spokesman. (dpa)