First cases filed against Volkswagen over emission scam in Turkey

ISTANBUL

AFP photo

The first cases against Volkswagen in Turkey regarding an emissions-cheating scandal have been filed by an Istanbul-based law firm, although more complaints are expected to be filed in the coming weeks.

“The brand reached record-high car sales in Turkey in years. Diesel cars constitute around 60 percent of its sales in the country… Volkswagen car owners have recently made contact with us over the recent emission scandal, claiming that they were defrauded when they purchased their vehicles with software [designed to] cheat emissions tests. We have started a legal process to understand how many gas emissions have been caused by this brand, which is very popular in Turkey, and how many vehicles are fitted with the cheating device,” said Mustafa Kemal Batur, the founding partner of the Çitil Burak Batur Law Office. 

Volkswagen, the world’s biggest carmaker by sales, has admitted that up to 11 million diesel cars worldwide are fitted with devices that can switch on pollution controls when they detect the car is undergoing testing.