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A German court has ruled former Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn must face trial on a second set of charges in the company\u2019s diesel emissions scandal.<\/p>\nA German court has ruled former Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn must face trial on a second set of charges in the company\u2019s diesel emissions scandal.<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s announcement by the Braunschweig state court followed a decision earlier this month that he must stand trial on fraud charges.<\/p>\n
These charges relate to alleged market manipulation.<\/p>\n
No date has been set for either set of proceedings.<\/p>\n
Winterkorn resigned from Volkswagen days after the US Environmental Protection Agency announced a notice of violation on September 18 2015.<\/p>\n
The company had for years been using software that recognized when vehicles were on test stands and turned emission controls on, then turned the emission controls off during normal driving.<\/p>\n
As a result, the cars emitted far more than the legal US limit of nitrogen oxide, a pollutant that harms people\u2019s health.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors accuse Winterkorn of knowing about the installation of an illegal \u201cdefeat device\u201d and deliberately failing to inform markets in good time of a \u201csignificant financial risk\u201d that had started to materialize in early 2015.<\/p>\n
The court said it sent the charges to trial unchanged.<\/p>\n
Volkswagen shares dropped sharply after the scandal became public, prompting investors to demand compensation in a separate civil case.<\/p>\n
Winterkorn\u2019s lawyer has rejected charges the former chief executive had early knowledge of the use of the software in US diesel cars, saying significant information did not reach him.<\/p>\n
Volkswagen has paid more than 30 billion euros (\u00a327 billion) in fines and settlements over the scandal.<\/p>\n