Charges brought against former VW chief

Martin Winterkorn, the former chief executive of Volkswagen, has been charged with conspiracy and wire fraud by authorities in the United States.

Volkswagen executives were accused of installing a cheat device which allowed vehicles to recognise when the were being tested in laboratory conditions and reduce emissions levels accordingly. 11m vehicles worldwide were believed to be affected.

Winterkorn resigned from his post in 2015 over the scandal. The ex-VW boss is the highest ranking executive to have been charged. The indictment also names five other VW executives.

In 2017, VW was fined $4.3bn after pleading guilty to using false statements to import cars into the US. Worldwide, the scandal has cost VW over $30bn in settlements.

US attorney general Jeff Sessions said: "Volkswagen's scheme to cheat its legal requirements went all the way to the top of the company.

"These are serious allegations, and we will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law."