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Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal keeps unraveling, as sources from inside the investigation claim that the company was using code words when referring to cheating.
The team of 450 investigators is probing through data obtained from more than 1,500 laptops, and they discovered that people who were aware of the fraud regarding the emissions of diesel engines used code words.
According to Automotive News, the number of terms used is in the range of dozens and includes “acoustic software.” All of the terms were used to discuss the technology referred to as the “defeat device,” which deactivated emission control systems when the vehicles were not tested.
A source familiar with the probe claims the investigation team is focused on approximately 20 employees. The same unnamed party stated that many of the interviewees did not provide insight over the fear of legal retaliation.
At the moment, it is unclear how many Volkswagen Group employees were aware of the situation, as the inquiry has yet to be completed.
Volkswagen and the other parties involved need a full report of the investigation, so they can present it to their annual shareholder meeting. This year’s meeting was delayed from April 21 to an unspecified date in June.
Once the report is completed, the entire matter must be publicly revealed, as this is considered the only solution for the German company to regain public trust. Until this moment, Volkswagen’s officials have insisted that only “a small group” was responsible for the “defeat device,” but this investigation must reveal if this was true.
The press is not the only party interested in discovering when Volkswagen started cheating and who made the decision, as government officials are requesting clarification on the matter as well.
Stephan Weil, prime minister of the state of Lower Saxony in Germany and the representative of the company’s second-largest shareholder, wants “complete clarification” by this month. Currently, the pressure is on the investigators, who must discover what some Volkswagen employees fail to recall.
The most pressing matter is who decided that cheating was the solution and who approved the decision.
According to Automotive News, the number of terms used is in the range of dozens and includes “acoustic software.” All of the terms were used to discuss the technology referred to as the “defeat device,” which deactivated emission control systems when the vehicles were not tested.
A source familiar with the probe claims the investigation team is focused on approximately 20 employees. The same unnamed party stated that many of the interviewees did not provide insight over the fear of legal retaliation.
At the moment, it is unclear how many Volkswagen Group employees were aware of the situation, as the inquiry has yet to be completed.
Volkswagen and the other parties involved need a full report of the investigation, so they can present it to their annual shareholder meeting. This year’s meeting was delayed from April 21 to an unspecified date in June.
Once the report is completed, the entire matter must be publicly revealed, as this is considered the only solution for the German company to regain public trust. Until this moment, Volkswagen’s officials have insisted that only “a small group” was responsible for the “defeat device,” but this investigation must reveal if this was true.
The press is not the only party interested in discovering when Volkswagen started cheating and who made the decision, as government officials are requesting clarification on the matter as well.
Stephan Weil, prime minister of the state of Lower Saxony in Germany and the representative of the company’s second-largest shareholder, wants “complete clarification” by this month. Currently, the pressure is on the investigators, who must discover what some Volkswagen employees fail to recall.
The most pressing matter is who decided that cheating was the solution and who approved the decision.
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