South Korea Ponders Criminal Charges Against VW Execs
South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission says it may file criminal charges against Volkswagen AG executives in the country for falsely claiming that hundreds of thousands of cars VW sold there meet Euro 5 emission standards.
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South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission says it may file criminal charges against Volkswagen AG executives in the country for falsely claiming that hundreds of thousands of cars VW sold there meet Euro 5 emission standards.
The commission says it advised VW of the possible action after a hearing with company officials to explain themselves, The Wall Street Journal reports. The agency says it has given VW five weeks to clarify its position. The commission will then hold a meeting to finalize its next steps, which may include fines against the company.
Last week prosecutors indicted a VW executive identified only as Mr.Yoon on charges of falsifying emission and noise test data for cars shipped to Korea. Officials said they plan to question more VW executives, including Johannes Thammer, who heads Audi Volkswagen Korea Co.
In November Korea ordered VW to recall 125,000 diesel-powered cars in the country that were among 11 million the carmaker admits equipping with software to cheat emission tests.
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