A South Korean court sentenced an executive of VW Group’s local arm to one year and six months in prison, for fabricating documents on emissions and noise-level tests in order to make certain vehicles eligible for import.
The court only publicized the surname of the executive, Yun, which was convicted of document fabrication, obstruction of work and for violating the environmental law, according to Reuters.
“Volkswagen has by itself undermined its credibility as a global brand as a result of this crime which has caused grave social and economic damages,” the Seoul Central District Court said in a statement, referring to the suspension.
Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating scandal is still unfolding in South Korea, after last year’s sales suspension of 80 models from the VW, Audi and Bentley brands. The suspension was accompanied by a fine of 17.8 billion won ($14.91 million) on VW’s local arm.
South Korea has been chasing VW with severity, filling criminal complaints even against executives like Johannes Thammer, managing director of Audi Volkswagen Korea. Officials have already raided their offices while the company was fined an additional 37.3 billion won ($31.87 million) for false advertising.
The local prosecutors are still investigating the case, so this one will not be the last time we hear from them.
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