Developments in “Dieselgate” in 2025? Almost ten years have passed since the Volkswagen Group’s emissions scandal broke.

The company is accused of manipulating certain models with special software so that readings on diesel engines show lower emissions than they actually are. Lately the case has been forgotten or at least overshadowed by the group’s financial crisis and concern over the loss of thousands of jobs. However, the pending legal proceedings for “Dieselgate” remain.

It is speculated that in 2025 new court orders may be issued for defrauding consumers due to the manipulation of diesel engines. The possible indictment of Martin Winterkorn, head of VW in the period 2007-2015, is expected with interest. Winterkorn resigned as soon as the scandal broke, but it remains unclear when exactly he became aware of the affair. The Court may now answer this question.

The biggest crisis in VW history

In September 2015, “Dieselgate” was revealed, after measurements by the US environmental authorities, but also by independent scientists in the US. The result was the biggest crisis in VW’s history. This was followed by convictions in the US, the imposition of a fine in the state of Lower Saxony, where the headquarters of the German carmaker is located, and the payment of compensation to some 250,000 consumers who had trusted VW diesel cars.

However, the criminal part of the case, which mainly concerns the responsibilities of VW executives, has not yet been completed. The first conviction against a member of the Board of Directors was issued by the Munich Court of Appeal in June 2023 and concerns the former head of Audi Rupert Stadler. However, the case has not yet been finalized. Four other former board members were referred three years ago to the Braunschweig Court of Appeal, and the hearing is expected to last until March 2025, with it being unclear whether a decision will be issued immediately.

Separated from these cases is the referral to Justice of the former head of the group, Martin Winterkorn. After successive postponements, due to health reasons, the trial had started last September, but was later suspended. Winterkorn, 77, is charged with fraud, market manipulation and perjury. He denies the charges and apparently the presumption of innocence applies.

The court ordered the trial to resume in February 2025, but Winterkorn’s lawyers fought back, asking for the judge to be removed on the grounds of bias. Initially, five lawsuits were filed against a total of 45 people, points out the representative of the prosecution Christian Wolters, answering a related question from the German News Agency (dpa).

According to the spokesman, most of the accused are executives who are not included in the upper echelons of the company’s hierarchy. Two of the group’s managers who have already been convicted in the US will not face re-charges in Germany.

And shareholders appeal to the Court

In a parallel development, VW shareholders had appealed to the Braunschweig Court of Appeal, claiming compensation for the “plunge” their shares recorded after the scandal was made public. In July 2023, after five years of hearings, the court announced that it would call 80 witnesses to testify, including the former heads of the Board of Directors Herbert Diess and Matthias Miller.

The first dates for witness statements are set for the first half of 2025, but it remains unclear when the decision will be issued. A representative of VW estimates that the legal costs of the group amount, so far, to 33 million euros.

Edited by: Yiannis Papadimitriou