Former Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn has accused the judge presiding over a criminal trial of bias over the 77-year-old’s alleged role in the diesel emissions scandal, dpa learned on Monday.
In a letter to the Braunschweig regional court in central Germany seen by dpa, Winterkorn’s lawyers say the former executive has lost confidence in the president’s impartiality in his case.
The trial of Winterkorn – on charges of commercial fraud, market manipulation and making false statements in connection with the so-called Dieselgate scandal – originally started in September, but was postponed for medical reasons after he suffered an accident.
Last week, the court moved the trial to February 2025, before a court-ordered assessment of Winterkorn’s health could take place.
In response, Winterkorn’s attorneys filed a motion challenging the judge for fear of bias.
The allegations date back to the 2015 discovery by U.S. regulators that some Volkswagen diesel engines were deliberately programmed to falsify emissions test results.
Winterkorn, once Germany’s highest-paid businessman, resigned in the wake of the scandal but denied any personal culpability in the scheme. His trial was repeatedly postponed due to health problems.
