German prosecutors are investigating former Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn’s role in the company’s circumvention of federal air pollution emission standards, The New York Times reports.
Winterkorn stepped down earlier this week after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accused the German automaker of selling about 482,000 vehicles since 2008 that violate the Clean Air Act due to software installed on the vehicles that activates required air pollution protections only during emissions tests.
The Braunschweig, Germany state attorney’s office has said that it will investigate whether Volkswagen committed fraud under Winterkorn’s leadership, according to the report.
{mosads}Volkswagen has been embroiled in scandal since the EPA revealed last Friday that the company programmed vehicles to trick emissions testers into believing that its diesel cars released a much lower volume of nitrogen oxide than they actually do.
A “defeat device” in the vehicles made it so they would pass emissions tests. But in regular driving, the vehicles emitted up to 40-times more pollution.
Volkswagen has admitted to the accusations.
The EPA has said Volkswagen could face up to an $18 billion fine for its pollution violations.