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The Stuttgart District Court decides whether Bosch is to issue certain documents in connection with the VW diesel scandal. Photo: Sebastian Kahnert
© Sebastian Kahnert
When were VW executives aware of the scale of the diesel scandal? Much more than they admit, a number of applicants. Proof for this, they badume in the internal documents of the Bosch supplier. Your chances of seeing it have at least increased.
Stuttgart (dpa) – The automotive supplier Bosch is to, according to the Stuttgart Regional Court, publish internal documents on the scandal of exhaust gases from the VW emission
The right to refuse to testify has been judged by the competent judge. Specifically, it is the email switching between vendor employees and Volkswagen employees, as well as a letter from Bosch's legal department to VW. The judgment is not final yet.
The supplier was not really involved in the procedure. Underlying complaints from VW investors are directed against Volkswagen's parent company, Porsche SE. They accuse the holding company – and also VW itself – of having too late informed the financial markets of the diesel drama that became public in September 2015. VW and the Porsche SE reject the reproach
Bosch provided VW the basic version of the software, which has been used on a large scale for handling exhaust gas values in diesel cars. In order to shed light on who should have known when, at VW, the applicants demanded that Bosch publish the documents – which the supplier did not want. The court had therefore opened an alleged intermediate dispute, which it has now decided.
According to the judgment, Bosch would not incur any financial loss if the documents were issued. The provider should also not be afraid of being sued for a crime or administrative offense. Last but not least, Bosch should not invoke the secrecy clauses or the company secret agreed with VW. Overall, there is therefore no reason to justify the refusal.
Bosch announced that it would first wait for a written statement of reasons before deciding on other measures. He expressly reserves the right to appeal for the interests of the company, he said
. Starting in September, the judge hears several prominent witnesses from the auto industry. This also includes Bosch's chief, Volkmar Denner, who, however, also avails himself of the right to refuse to testify. The former VW boss, Martin Winterkorn, does not want to testify under reference. We do not know if the court will accept that in the end.
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