Bosch Allegedly Helped Volkswagen Cover Up Diesel Probelms
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Volkswagen AG has begun paying out it's fine for their infamous "Dieselgate" scandal. However, the German automaker is still on the hook for much of the $15.3 billion they owe in fines and penalties. But VW isn't the only company in hot water over these emissions problems anymore.
Robert Bosch GmbH, one of VW's biggest suppliers, is now facing charges that it helped the manufacturer cover up their cheating on emissions tests. This is according to a lawyer for U.S. owners of Volkswagen vehicles with affected diesel engines.
In a filing from August 16 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, lawyers cited confidential documents from VW that were turned over to the plaintiffs' attorneys, leading to these new allegations against the auto parts supplier.
VW's only comment was that this filing against Bosch would have no effect on their own multi-billion dollar settlement. Most of the allegations against Bosch remain under seal, as the documents have been designated as confidential by Volkswagen, per the plaintiffs' lawyers.
These documents include records of communication between Bosch, VW, and U.S. regulators. One email from 2011 to the California Air Resources Board, among other documented discussions, demonstrates "Bosch's deep understanding of what regulators allowed and would not allow, and what Bosch did to help VW obtain approval," according to the filing.
"Bosch played a crucial role in the fraudulent enterprise, and profited handsomely from it."
The Stuttgart-based company has not yet been charged with any wrongdoing. But a spokeswoman for Bosch said that the company is taking these allegations very seriously, and that they are cooperating with several investigations.
