Prosecutors in Germany have fined Volkswagen a whopping one-point-two billion U.S. dollars over the carmaker's diesel emissions cheating scandal.
It's another heavy blow to VW, which has been reeling from this scandal for years now.
Ro Aram reports.
Public prosecutors in Braunschweig, near VW's Wolfsburg headquarters, issued the one-billion-euro fine on Wednesday.
They said it was one of the highest fines ever imposed on a company in Germany.
After their investigation, prosecutors found that more ten million cars made between 2007 and 2015 and sold worldwide were fitted with software to cheat emissions tests.
They also said monitoring duties had been breached in the Powertrain Development department in the context of vehicle tests.
Volkswagen said it accepted the penalty, adding it takes responsibility for the diesel crisis.
Despite the large figure, the fine pales in comparison to the 25 billion dollars VW has had to pay in fines, buybacks and compensation in the U.S.
The latest decision also does not affect any civil lawsuits, such as consumer complaints, that are pending at the courts.
The so-called "dieselgate" scandal has been eating away at VW since 2015, when it admitted that its vehicles, along with those made by its Audi subsidiary, were fitted with defeat devices designed to circumvent emissions tests.
The episode had led many consumers to steer away from diesel-powered cars and has also raised suspicions as to whether other carmakers were engaged in similar malpractices.
Just a few days ago, Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz, was ordered to recall hundreds of thousands of vehicles in Europe for using illegal defeat devices.
The automaker has denied any wrongdoing, but said it will replace the software.
Ro Aram, Arirang News.