Photo: DPAGerman prosecutors said Wednesday they had opened a new investigation into Volkswagen chief executive Matthias Müller and others over market manipulation in the wake of the carmaker's 'dieselgate' scandal. "The accused are suspected of knowingly delaying telling shareholders about the financial consequences for Porsche SE of software manipulation in diesel vehicles by Volkswagen AG," the prosecutors in southwestern city Stuttgart said. Holding company Porsche SE - separate from VW subsidiary Porsche AG - owns a controlling stake in the world's largest carmaker, with its stable of 12 brands ranging from luxury Audi to generalist Skoda. Along with Müller, former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn and Porsche SE chairman Hans-Dieter Poetsch are also suspected of failing to share information about the emissions cheating affecting 11 million cars revealed in 2015. It is the first time Müller has been targeted by prosecutors over market manipulation, while Winterkorn, Poetsch - a former chief financial officer at VW - and VW brand chief Herbert Diess already face probes.

Source: The Local May 17, 2017 09:11 UTC