Prosecutors seize Volkswagen cars for probe into emissions-cheating

By Park Sae-jin Posted : June 1, 2016, 16:27 Updated : June 1, 2016, 16:27

[Yonhap News Photo]


South Korean prosecutors seized 950 Volkswagen cars Wednesday as part of their probe into the German company which has been accused of faking emissions tests.

Prosecutors said three models -- A1, A3 and Golf -- were seized at the Volkswagen depot in the southwestern port city of Pyeongtaek. The move followed a raid by prosecutors in February into the offices of Volkswagen's local unit at the request of South Korea's environment ministry.

The German auto giant has been under a flurry of legal actions in South Korea and other countries after it admitted in September last year to falsifying US emissions tests on some of its diesel cars.

In November last year, the environment ministry ordered Audi Volkswagen Korea to recall more than 125,000 diesel-powered cars and fined it 14.1 billion won (11.4 million US dollars). 

Violators of South Korea's environmental law could receive a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to 30 million won. The Volkswagen case triggered an intensive safety check into imported cars.

This year, Japan's Nissan Motor has been ordered to recall 814 Qashqai diesel vehicles in South Korea with a fine of 330 million won for manipulating emissions tests. Nissan argued it has never used an illegal defeat device for any vehicles.

German car giant BMW will recall about 3,500 cars sold in South Korea after safety regulators discovered defective parts including a fuel pump and an airbag control unit.

Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
 
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