States Say Volkswagen Won’t Turn Over Documents In Emissions Investigation

A group of state attorneys general called out Volkswagen on Friday for allegedly withholding documents related to its use of “defeat devices” to skirt emissions standards in 500,000 vehicles in the U.S. 

Reuters, citing a source close to the matter, reports that VW referenced German privacy law when refusing to share emails between its executives and other communications regarding the emissions scandal with the 48 attorneys generals.

“I find it frustrating that, despite public statements professing cooperation and an expressed desire to resolve the various investigations that it faces following its calculated deception, Volkswagen is, in fact, resisting cooperation by citing German law,” Connecticut AG George Jepsen said in a statement to Reuters.

Jepsen said the AGs are working on an investigation that would “hold Volkswagen accountable for its behavior to the extent possible under the law, and we will seek to use any means available to us to conduct a thorough investigation of Volkswagen’s conduct.”

VW declined to provide comment on its use of German privacy law or the withholding of documents.

“We are in permanent exchange with U.S. authorities and are cooperating closely with them. We are not commenting on ongoing investigations,” a spokesman for the carmaker tells Reuters.

Volkswagen blasted for shielding emissions documents from U.S. probe [Reuters]

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