US court charges ex-Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn over diesel scandal

The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted Volkswagen's former chief executive, Martin Winterkorn, with conspiracy and wire fraud in connection with the diesel emissions scandal.

Winterkorn was charged in a Michigan federal court in relation to a probe into VW's diesel emissions testing scandal. Winterkorn resigned as chief executive shortly after US regulators revealed their suspicions about software in VW diesel cars that made it appear the emissions were cleaner than they actually were.

The indictment says Winterkorn was briefed on the emissions issue and other matters two months before the scandal was revealed. Winterkorn said at the time of his resignation that he wasn't aware of any wrongdoing.

VW has already paid billions in penalties and compensation to consumers because of the scandal, which also severely damaged the image of its diesel cars.