Volkswagen: USA investigate concerning bank fraud and tax violations – SPIEGEL ONLINE

The US Justice Department has expanded its investigation into Volkswagen in the exhaust affair. The report the “Wall Street Journal” and the Reuters news agency, citing insiders. Accordingly’m now determined also on suspicion of bank fraud and possible violations of tax laws.

These investigators turn to an intended actually for financial markets law. This could mean for VW additional penalties. Investigators examine the report says, if lenders were compromised by the manipulation of Volkswagen in the car financing.

Affected vehicles with excessive emission levels were initially marketed as environmentally friendly and have lost the affair considerable value.

In addition, should be investigated whether VW is liable for tax credits that US car buyers have received for the supposedly low exhaust emissions.

“The right stretched to the very limit”

A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment on demand. A spokeswoman for VW said only that the company will continue to cooperate with all relevant US authorities.

Volkswagen had given in September after allegations of the US

Environmental Agency EPA to have provided hundreds of thousands of diesel cars in the US with a fraud software for Austricksen of emission tests. The group threatened by a civil suit by the US government already has a penalty in the tens of billions. Also from France and German investors the group now face large damages.

The new investigations of bank fraud, the US call according to the report for the first time in a developed for the financial industry law in a different industry. This “legal theory stretched against a not particularly agreeable accused to the outer limits” would the newspaper quoted the Columbia law professor John Coffee.

The law was actually passed in the wake of the financial crisis in 2008 to better attract big banks to hold responsible.