Ex-Volkswagen boss Martin Winterkorn suspended from diesel testing until 2025 due to poor health

Winterkorn, who was treated in hospital after an accident at home last month, “will not be able to attend court hearings for at least the next few months due to health reasons”, the court in Braunschweig said. said in a statement.

The court said it had adjourned the trial and “cancelled all further dates”.

The court said hearings in the trial could not be continued within the time frame prescribed by law.

The court said it is considering a restart in early 2025.

Winterkorn was put on trial in early September over the scandal at Volkswagen, nine years after the revelations plunged the automaker into crisis.

The 77-year-old’s health problems have delayed previous efforts to bring him to trial.

According to German daily Bild, Winterkorn recently slipped while showering and broke his right leg.

Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to installing software to regulate emissions levels on millions of diesel cars worldwide, triggering one of the biggest post-war industrial scandals in Germany.

Winterkorn is facing charges including fraud and market manipulation over so-called defeat devices, which make cars appear less polluting in lab tests than they are they run on the road. He could be jailed for up to 10 years if convicted.

Winterkorn denies the allegations.