Volkswagen on Sunday said it had reached the broad outlines of a settlement with former CEO Martin Winterkorn over his role in the diesel emissions scandal, with the final details to be provided over coming days.
With the settlement, the automaker is trying to turn the page on its biggest-ever corporate crisis in which it confessed to having used illegal software to rig diesel engine tests in the United States. No details were provided on the size of the deal.
“In its meeting yesterday, the supervisory board agreed on the essential conditions,” a VW representative said in a statement. “The agreements will be concluded in coming days.”
The scandal has cost the automaker more than $30 billion in fines and penalties.
The automaker said this year that it would claim damages from former Winterkorn for violating his duty of care by failing to fully and swiftly clarify the circumstances behind the use of illegal software functions in some diesel engines.
Winterkorn has rejected being responsible for the scandal. He resigned as CEO on September 23, 2015, a week after the scandal was revealed.