Trial of former VW managers over diesel emissions scandal nears end

A trial of four former Volkswagen managers and engineers accused of manipulating diesel exhaust systems is coming to a close after more than three and a half years, with the presiding judge closing the hearing of evidence on Friday.

Before Judge Christian Schütz can hand down a verdict, prosecutors are due to give their closing statement at the Braunschweig regional court, expected to last several hours.

The defendants are charged with commercial and organized fraud related to manipulated software in millions of cars.

The allegations date back to the 2015 discovery by US regulators that some Volkswagen diesel engines had been intentionally programmed to fake the results of emissions testing.

Ex-Volkswagen boss Martin Winterkorn, originally due to sit in the dock alongside the four, has been tried over his role in the scandal in separate proceedings due to health reasons.

Once Germany's highest-paid business executive, Winterkorn stepped down in the wake of the scandal but denied any personal culpability in the scheme.

Prosecutors alleged in court that Winterkorn knew details about the illegal software by May 2014 at the latest, earlier than the former executive has acknowledged.

Prosecutors said Winterkorn's failure to do anything about the illegal activity after allegedly learning about it resulted in the sale of at least 65,000 manipulated vehicles in the US.

Exact details of how Volkswagen developed the illegal software and decided to install the programmes in diesel vehicles remains unclear to this day.

The scandal cost Volkswagen more than €32 billion ($35.3 billion) in fines and settlements alone. The affair plunged VW into the worst crisis in the company's history and severely damaged its reputation.