Mercedes-Benz: Criminal charges confirm Dieselgate

The Diesel scandal has been preoccupying German car manufacturers in the last couple of years. Mercedes-Benz involvement in Dieselgate might not be the first thing that comes to mind. As recently as 2021, the German car company ended a legal dispute in the USA and paid a settlement amounting to billions.

Further allegations concerning Mercedes-Benz

However, this settlement did not put an end to accusations against Mercedes-Benz when it comes to fraudulent behaviour. Although Mercedes-Benz primarily wants to produce e-cars nowadays, the company is still involved in ongoing Dieselgate court proceedings. Mercedes-Benz owners essentially feel cheated because the cars they bought emit more exhaust gases than promised by the German manufacturer and are less valuable due to this.

There has been another twist for Mercedes-Benz recently. Most ongoing court proceedings deal with compensation claims. In July 2021, the Stuttgart public prosecutor's office issued criminal charges against three Mercedes-Benz employees for fraudulent behaviour relating to the Diesel scandal. This procedure was quickly followed by the first Court sentences against employees of the German car manufacturer in March 2022.

This development is not entirely surprising and not unheard of. Mercedes-Benz has already conceded defeat in German civil court cases on several occasions. For example, a German Mercedes-Benz customer was recently awarded damages in court for the purchase of his Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Criminal charges against Mercedes-Benz employees

Now the first defeat in criminal court proceedings has followed. A team leader and two clerks were convicted of fraud. The sentence was one year's imprisonment on probation. As of now, these sentences are legally binding.

A spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz group clarified that the convictions were against employees, but not against the company itself. The employees are to keep their jobs and they are not expected to face any legal consequences from their employer. It appears Mercedes-Benz wants to prevent another legal dispute with his employees for strategical reasons. Keeping the convicts employed might be related to the fact that Mercedes-Benz has so far denied any deliberate involvement in Dieselgate. It is possible the company and wants to prevent former employees from publicly claiming otherwise.

The current legal practice in Germany however suggests that Mercedes-Benz is involved in the diesel scandal on a large scale. These criminal court rulings also point in this direction.