Volkswagen is now under investigation for destroying evidence after failing to resolve emissions scandal

Recently, according to foreign media reports, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hopes to obtain permission from the federal court to participate in the investigation of Volkswagen Group's deliberate destruction of documents in last year's emissions scandal.

Since March this year, the FTC has been investigating whether Volkswagen Group destroyed relevant documents in the emissions scandal.

The scandal came to light after Volkswagen admitted to installing software in its diesel cars in the hope of cheating emissions tests in September last year, when in fact the cars were emitting more than 40 times the permitted levels .

The FTC said that Volkswagen did not directly answer 250 related questions in its testimony in August; the FTC hopes to obtain permission from the court to question other senior executives of the Volkswagen Group.

Volkswagen Group spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said last Friday that Volkswagen Group will continue to cooperate with the US judicial authorities in order to give consumers a satisfactory answer.

It is reported that Volkswagen Group has previously received allegations of intentional damage to documents from individuals and the federal government.

In March, a dismissed Volkswagen employee in the United States accused the group of deliberately deleting relevant documents to hinder the judicial investigation into the emissions scandal.

Daniel Donovan, who worked as an information technology consultant in Volkswagen Group's legal department , claimed that he was eventually fired by Volkswagen in December because he refused to participate in Volkswagen Group's destruction of relevant evidence .

The lawsuit was filed in June, and Donovan also said he would cooperate with Volkswagen Group's internal investigation.

Lawsuits ensue

Three U.S. state governments filed charges against Volkswagen in July , claiming that at least eight Volkswagen engineering employees deleted criminal data from the company last August despite being stopped by senior lawyers .

It is reported that Volkswagen Group agreed to pay US$16.5 billion in compensation to dealers , governments and related agencies.

Last week, a U.S. court said that lawyers representing some Volkswagen dealers were also seeking $36.2 million in legal fees from the Volkswagen Group . Lawyers representing the owners of the vehicles involved were also seeking $175 million in legal fees from the Volkswagen Group.

Volkswagen Group has agreed to pay $10.03 billion to buy back 475,000 problematic cars on the market . As of last week, 78% of car owners have registered to confirm their cooperation with the buyback. Volkswagen said the buyback will begin at the end of this month.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.