Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has been charged in Germany for his role in the diesel-emissions scandal. Prosecutors in Braunschweig announced Monday morning that Winterkorn was one of five indicted in the serious fraud case. Prosecutors accuse Winterkorn of knowing since 2014 about the illegal use of software to cheat emissions tests, and also allege that Winterkorn backed a “useless” update of the vehicles’ software in November of that year to help conceal the scam. Winterkorn was indicted by American authorities in 2017 but is very unlikely to face trial here because Germany doesn't extradite its citizens. The scandal first broke in 2015 and involved as many as 11 million diesel cars worldwide. It's already cost the company about 28 billion euros, Bloomberg reports. If Winterkorn is found guilty, he could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
