In the latest developments of the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal, and the increasing press surrounding Bosch and their alleged involvement, VW and Bosch have rejected access to more than 20 million pages of records requested by European investors and vehicle owners as part of legal actions.
These documents were submitted to the U.S. courts, and their use for others in Europe could be substantial, which is why they have been requested. However, both German companies have requested that the U.S. federal judge reject any requests made by European investors or vehicle owners asking for the documents.
Reason for rejection
The reason for them to reject the requests is because, in their view, it would “potentially undermine their [own] official investigations” (according to reports).
This seems to be the case as Bosch suggested that the documents contained sensitive information that is protected under foreign data privacy laws. They say that publishing this would possibly cause data protection breaches. However, it could be argued that releasing the documents as requested by the parties would cause further damage to their reputation and business, and perhaps support ongoing legal actions against them.
This does not come as a surprise that Bosch is denying European parties access to the documents. It could place greater publicity on their already unwanted media limelight, and may serve to help the legal actions of those requesting them. They are currently under investigation as to whether they assisted VW in the car emissions scandal, where they are allegedly the authors of the “defeat device” software used in the scandal. Thus far, they have defended the claims, disregarding them all as “wild and unfounded”.
Who are seeking these documents?
The European investors and customers include Altroconsumo in Italy, the Wolverhampton City Council filing on behalf of a pension fund in the U.K, and Dutch Settlement Foundations in the Netherlands.
By seeking the documents, these European groups may have an insight into Bosch’s involvement in the scandal. Without these documents they may not be able to uncover the ‘truths’ behind their involvement. It is yet to be seen whether the documents will be published for the advantage of the European groups. If the U.S. federal judge decides that it is necessary to publish the documents then this may uncover some ‘ugly truths’, as the ‘nothing to hide’ saying goes… “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear”. As of now, Bosch and VW are possibly set for an increasingly bumpy ride.