MPs grill German Chancellor over VW scandal
Angela Merkel denies she had prior knowledge of Volkswagen's emissions cheating, but FBI thinks company executives knew months before charges were laid
Berlin — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has denied having any prior knowledge that Volkswagen (VW) was running an emissions scam, saying on Wednesday that she learnt of the scandal through the media. She told investigating legislators that she found out "from the media on September 19 2015" about charges laid by Washington against Europe’s biggest car maker the previous day. A special commission of MPs is carrying out a probe into whether Merkel and her government colluded with VW to shield the group from regulators despite knowing that it was carrying out a scam. VW — which owns 12 brands including Porsche and Audi — stunned the world when it admitted to fitting 11-million diesel vehicles worldwide with software that temporarily reduces harmful emissions during regulatory tests. The scandal, the biggest to hit post-war Germany’s business world and one of its vital industries, has not only sunk the company into billions of losses but has tarnished its reputation. Merkel said that s...
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