German Prosecutors Probe Volkswagen Over Alleged Data Deletion in Diesel Scandal
Authorities in Germany have launched an inquiry into claims that Volkswagen employees deleted sensitive internal data around the time the diesel emissions cheating became public in September 2015.
German prosecutors have opened an inquiry into allegations that Volkswagen employees deleted internal data in the days before the company admitted to cheating on diesel emissions tests in September 2015. The investigation follows reports that a former Volkswagen Group of America employee claimed he was dismissed after raising concerns about the deletion of potentially incriminating data related to the scandal.
According to German media, the prosecutors’ office in Braunschweig is examining whether Volkswagen staff intentionally destroyed or removed files that might have been relevant to the dieselgate investigation. The focus is on the week leading up to 18 September 2015, when US authorities first made the emissions cheating public. Prosecutors told broadcasters NDR and WDR and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung that a substantial amount of data may have been lost, potentially hampering the investigation, although the scale has not been fully established.
Claims from the US and internal investigations
The inquiry in Germany follows a lawsuit filed by a former VW Group of America employee, who alleges he was unlawfully dismissed after trying to prevent a colleague from deleting sensitive documents linked to the emissions case. The employee claims his efforts to stop the deletion began on 18 September 2015, the day the scandal became public knowledge.
Volkswagen has launched its own internal investigations into the diesel emissions affair. In the United States, the law firm Jones Day is leading the review, while in Germany, the company has engaged Gleiss Lutz to conduct a parallel probe. Both firms are tasked with examining the company’s actions and compliance in the lead-up to and aftermath of the emissions revelations.
Possible impact on dieselgate proceedings
The prosecutors’ office has indicated that the potential destruction of data could materially affect the course of the dieselgate investigations, making it harder to establish the sequence of events inside Volkswagen. As of mid-March 2016, authorities said they could not yet confirm the full extent of the data loss or its precise consequences for ongoing legal proceedings.
