Supreme locks Volkswagen appeal in Portugal
Process was initiated by Deco in 2016, in defense of consumers affected by the “Dieselgate” scandal.
The Supreme Court of Justice ruled that an appeal brought by Volkswagen (VW) in the “Dieselgate” case was unfounded.
The German manufacturer argued that the Portuguese courts do not have jurisdiction to judge the process that Deco started in 2016, in defense of Portuguese consumers affected by the scandal, said Deco, in a statement released yesterday.
“Recourse to this type of tactics by Volkswagen was just another way to stretch the rope and demonstrate a total unavailability to repair and indemnify Portuguese consumers, using the enormous financial resources at its disposal and depleting the meager public resources we have [enquanto país] in judicial matters. Unacceptable, “said Tito Rodrigues, from Institutional Relations at Deco Proteste, quoted in the statement.
“We have not given up on this cause and we have not relaxed the pressure that has to be exerted on Volkswagen and the judicial system, given that these endless formal expedients only take advantage of the fact that they need financial resources to exploit them, as is the case with the German giant” , added the same responsible.
In 2015, it was made public that a Volkswagen had illegally installed software in their vehicles that artificially reduced nitrogen monoxide as a base during the load test.
The case “Dieselgate” affected about 125 thousand cars of the Volkswagen group in Portugal, recalls Deco – Association for the Defense of Consumers.
Deco recalls that, at the end of September, the European Commission and the network of authorities for Cooperation for Consumer Protection (CPC) issued a joint statement, requesting compensation for European consumers.
Actions in progress
However, several lawsuits against Volkswagen continue in several European countries. In July, Altroconsumo, an Italian consumer protection organization, won the class action against the automaker.
Following the scandal, Volkswagen has already compensated customers in the US, Australia, Germany and Spain. “Our expectations increase and consumers at least the same compensation. Within Europe, we cannot have first and second consumers”, points out Deco.
Affected
In Portugal, around 125 thousand consumers were affected by the scandal of the VW information.
Offset
German construction company has already compensated clients in the USA, Australia, Germany and Spain.