VW Condemns Prosecutors’ Law Office Search in Diesel Scandal

Volkswagen AG says a search this week of the German offices of a law firm VW hired to investigate its diesel cheating scandal is “unacceptable in every way.”

The raid on Wednesday was part of searches by German prosecutors that continued today at several Audi facilities, Reuters reports. Investigators are looking for evidence of wrongdoing associated with V-6 diesels developed by Audi and rigged to evade emission standards.

VW says prosecutors raided offices of Jones Day, a Cleveland, Ohio-based law firm hired by the carmaker more than a year ago. The firm’s German offices are located in Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich.

VW hired Jones Day shortly after U.S. regulators revealed the cheating in September 2015. The company admits it used illegal software in 11 million 4- and 6-cylinder diesels to evade emission tests over the past seven years. The company insists that searching a law firm under its employ “contravenes the principles of the code of criminal procedure.” It vows to take legal action.

The carmaker has never publicly revealed the results of the lengthy Jones Day probe. The firm’s findings exonerated the management board but identified evidence of wrongdoing by several other high-level VW executives.

Reuters says German prosecutors currently are investigating at least 37 people in connection with the cheating.