BRAUNSCHWEIG (dpa-AFX) - The fourth day of questioning of former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn on the diesel scandal was not enough to bring the billion-euro investor trial to a close. However, the questioning of the 76-year-old for several hours in Braunschweig on Wednesday did not produce any new findings on the emissions scandal at the Wolfsburg-based car manufacturer. Winterkorn confirmed in the civil proceedings before the Higher Regional Court: "If someone had told me that we had to hide something from the authorities, I would certainly have reacted differently."

Winterkorn had denied responsibility for the manipulations with cheating software at the beginning of the hearing in the Braunschweig town hall in mid-February. With regard to the two criminal proceedings that are also pending against him in Braunschweig, Winterkorn described the accusations as "inaccurate". At the regional court, the former top manager is charged with commercial fraud, false statements and violations of the Securities Trading Act, among other things.

It remained unclear on Wednesday when Winterkorn's questioning as a witness could be continued. His lawyer Felix Dorr referred to an upcoming operation for the 76-year-old in March.

For the first criminal trial in Braunschweig, in which four other ex-VW managers and engineers have been on trial since September 2021, Winterkorn's complex had been severed for health reasons. According to the regional court, a recent medical report showed that Winterkorn should be fit to stand trial from September 2024.

In current proceedings under the Capital Investor Model Case Act, negotiations have been underway since 2018 regarding possible compensation for investors who suffered share price losses after the scandal came to light. Around 4.4 billion euros are currently at stake. After Herbert Diess and Matthias Müller, Winterkorn is the third former VW CEO to be heard on the matter. In total, the Higher Regional Court intends to hear more than 80 witnesses./bch/DP/jha