Finally, Volkswagen admits responsibility for the diesel crisis and is fined €1bn by Germany; an outcome that has a huge impact on UK victims.
The fine that has been reportedly issued by public prosecutors is for Volkswagen’s criminal role for intentionally using illegal defeat devices in the 8 million or so vehicles affected in Europe.
The admission of responsibility is big news for UK victims because defeat devices are illegal under British and European law. By admitting responsibly in Europe, the path to justice for UK Volkswagen Group owners just got a whole lot easier.
Huge victory for consumers in England and Wales
Volkswagen’s admission of responsibly is also a huge success for victims claiming compensation in the High Court action for England and Wales. To date, VW has refused compensation on the grounds that they have done nothing wrong, but their admission of responsibility and their acceptance to pay the fine now means they can no longer refuse compensation on the grounds that they have done nothing wrong.
This admission of responsibility is monumental in the history of this case. They can no longer rely on the defence that there is no claim to answer for because they had not acted illegally.
Largest fine in Europe so far
The €1bn is said to be the largest penalty in Europe so far and is comprised of a €5m penalty fine and a €995 fine for the disgorgement of economic benefits; i.e. a punishment to reflect the fact VW has obviously made a lot of money off the back of selling cars that were fitted with illegal defeat devices.
In a statement from the carmaker, they said:
“Volkswagen AG accepted the fine and it will not lodge an appeal against it.
Volkswagen AG, by doing so, admits its responsibility for the diesel crisis and considers this as a further major step towards the latter being overcome.”
The time to claim will expire soon!
For those who were unsure about making a claim for compensation against Volkswagens over the “Dieselgate” scandal because they were bot confident they could win, you now have a clearer answer.
However, the deadline to claim will expire completely on 26 October 2018, with our books closing in advance of this date. As such, if you are serious about joining the action and making your claim against Volkswagen for their cheating behaviour, you must sign-up ASAP to avoid missing out.
Sign-up here now and confirm your place in the compensation action against VW.
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