Volkswagen 'misused me'

Volkswagen AG executive, Oliver Schmidt, who is due to be sentenced this week in connection with the emissions scandal, has written to the judge to say he feels “misused” by VW.

Schmidt has pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court to wrongdoing associated with the emission scandal that has cost the German car maker around $30 billion. 

After being informed of the existence of the emissions software in the summer of 2015, according to his guilty plea, Schmidt conspired with other executives to avoid disclosing “intentional cheating” by the automaker in a bid to seek regulatory approval for its model 2016 VW 2 liter diesels.

The letter, originally published by German newspaper Bild am Sonnstag, Schmidt says “I must say that I feel misused by my own company in the diesel scandal or ‘Dieselgate’.”

Schmidt faces up to seven years in prison and a fine of between $40,000 and $400,000 after admitting to conspiring to mislead U.S regulators and violating clean air laws.

He is due to be sentence on December 6 2017.