An executive at Volkswagen Group’s South Korean subsidiary arrived at a Seoul court on Thursday (June 23) for a hearing on whether he will be arrested in connection with the cheating of emissions tests.
The executive, who requested to be known by his surname, Yoon, is accused of manipulating engine software in Volkswagen’s gasoline-powered Golf 1.4 TSI at the request of the headquarters, a person with direct knowledge of the probe told Reuters.
A South Korean court will review a request by prosecutors for an arrest warrant, which could be the first of a VW Korea executive since local prosecutors began investigating the case after the environment ministry filed a complaint in January.
Yoon, in charge of vehicle certification, is also suspected of fabricating results of emission and noise-level tests as well as fuel economy tests, said a source at Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office.
The German automaker in September admitted using software on some diesel cars to ensure favourable results during U.S. emissions tests, spurring legal action in the United States, Germany, South Korea and elsewhere.
In January, Korea’s environment ministry filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors against the South Korean unit of Volkswagen/Audi and two company officials, saying their vehicles did not meet permissible emissions levels.
Volkswagen and Audi together sell the most imported cars in South Korea, the second-biggest Asian market for diesel cars after India, but sales fell after the emissions scandal.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016
