Baku, January 5, AZERTAC
The U.S. Justice Department on Monday filed a civil lawsuit against Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) for allegedly violating the Clean Air Act by installing illegal devices to impair emission control systems in nearly 600,000 vehicles, the www.reuters.som said.
"The United States will pursue all appropriate remedies against Volkswagen to redress the violations of our nation's clean air laws," said Assistant Attorney General John Cruden, head of the departments environment and natural resources division.
The Justice Department lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, accuses Volkswagen of four counts of violating the U.S. Clean Air Act, including tampering with the emissions control system and failing to report violations.
The civil lawsuit reflects the expanding number of allegations against Volkswagen since the company first admitted in September to installing cheat devices in several of its 2.0 litre diesel vehicle models. The U.S. lawsuit also alleges that Volkswagen gamed emissions controls in many of its 3.0 litre diesel models, including the Audi Q7, and the Porsche Cayenne.
The civil lawsuit does not preclude the Justice Department from pursuing criminal charges against Volkswagen, said the Justice Department official.
U.S.-listed shares of Volkswagen were down 3.3 percent at$29.95.
