François Bausch, Luxembourg’s Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, announced yesterday that the Luxembourg government is bringing criminal charges against “unknown persons” in response to the Volkswagen emissions scandal.
The Minister said that the Government is seeking imprisonment of eight days to three years or damages of up to €500,000 in relation to each constructor found to have cheated emissions tests using the so-called 'defeat devices'.
More than 31,000 Luxembourg-registered vehicles built by Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Seat were affected by the scandal in which, the Minister said, the Government of Luxembourg was the victim of criminal actions that led it to certify cars it would not have done if the tests hadn’t been falsified.
Among the reasons given for filing the charges, the Minister said that in view of the specific and exceptional powers of investigation opened up by a criminal investigation, the complaint would provide a necessary and useful tool for establishing the truth behind the scandal.
The charges come on the heels of the actions taken by the European Commission last December in which Luxembourg was one of seven countries singled out for failing to impose or enforce legislation on emissions standards.
* Image: François Bausch, centre, during the announcement of Luxembourg's response to the emissions scandal
