The prosecutor Stuttgart has issued in the wake of the diesel scandal against the carmaker Daimler, a fine in the amount of 870 million euros. Reason is a negligent breach of supervision in a department dealing with vehicle certification, as the prosecution said. The earnings forecast of the group remained unchanged, it was said.
SPIEGEL had reported in August about the process and the amount of the expected penalty payment. The investigation was triggered by inspections by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), which discovered a number of illegal defeat devices in the software, including models of the E- and C-Class, and ordered recalls. In the view of the Flensburg inspectors, the software ensured that the exhaust gases on the test bench were cleaned much more efficiently than on the road. Daimler had argued that the corporate approach was legal.
The prosecution had investigated against Daimler employees for suspected fraud. The regulations provide for sums of up to € 5,000 per car involved. 280,000 cars were recalled in Germany.
