German prosecutors imposed a 535 million euro ($598 million) fine on Porsche AG, a unit of Volkswagen, as punishment for lapses in supervisory duties which made it possible for the company to cheat diesel emissions tests.
Prosecutors in the southern city of Stuttgart stated that the company’s development department had neglected its legal duties, which eventually led to the sale of diesel cars that spewed excessive pollution levels.
The fine against the automaker comes after a 1 billion euro penalty for management lapses imposed against Volkswagen by prosecutors in Braunschweig, and a fine of 800 million euros against Audi by prosecutors in Munich, Germany in 2018.
U.S. officials revealed Volkswagen’s systematic emissions cheating on September 18, 2015, sparking the biggest business scandal in the automaker’s history which has cost company over 30 billion euros in penalties and fines.
Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi sold diesel engine cars that failed to conform to clean air rules and cheated emissions tests.
German prosecutors have pursued individual engineers and took action against the firms for lacking oversight as managers failed to avoid heavily polluting cars from hitting European roads.
Prosecutors stated Porsche had not appealed the findings by the prosecutor.
Porsche verified the fine and stated that prosecutors’ proceedings against the company had come to an end.
The fine does not hinder the continued proceedings against individuals in relation to Porsche’s diesel manipulations, the prosecutors stated.
