Former Volkswagen CEO denies early knowledge of diesel emissions cheating

Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn rejected to inform German lawmakers when he initially found out about systematic exhaust emissions cheating however stated it was no earlier than Volkswagen has formally confessed.

Volkswagen has stated its executive board did not discover of the software violations until late August 2015 and officially reported the cheating to officials in the United States in early September 2015.

Upon being asked whether he had known about software cheating before, Winterkorn said to a German parliamentary committee on Thursday: “That is not the case.”

Winterkorn refused to be more particular about when he was notified since it was a matter that was still being investigated by German prosecutors.

“I too am looking for satisfactory answers,” Winterkorn stated in his first public remarks because he apologized the scandal in a telecasted declaration on Sept. 22, 2015, the day before he resigned as head of Volkswagen.

“It’s incomprehensible why I wasn’t notified early and unambiguously,” included Winterkorn, who managed a doubling in Volkswagen’s sales and a nearly tripling in profits throughout his 8 years in charge.

Volkswagen recently accepted to pay the biggest ever U.S. criminal fine imposed on a car manufacturer to settle charges that it conspired for almost ten Years to cheat on diesel emission tests.