Four former workers of Volkswagen went on trial on Thursday over the Dieselgate scandal.
The trial that was being held in Braunschweig, close to Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, started without former CEO Martin Winterkorn, whose separate trial will take place at a later date as he is undergoing surgery.
The four workers, who are accused of fraud, had been aware of the unlawful software but failed to raise the issue, instead of seeking to maximize profits for the automaker and, as a result, their performance bonuses, Braunschweig prosecutors said.
The defendants either claim they were not aware of the manipulation or had been told by their superiors about it, judicial sources said.
Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to cheating U.S. diesel engine tests. The scandal has cost the automaker more than $30 billion so far in fines and repairs.
