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Canada prosecutors propose £110m Volkswagen fine

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VW logoImage source, Getty Images

Canadian prosecutors want to fine Volkswagen millions of Canadian dollars over its emissions scandal.

Volkswagen was charged in December with importing nearly 128,000 vehicles into Canada that violated emissions standards.

The company then pleaded guilty to dozens of counts of diesel emissions violations.

Globally the scandal has already cost the company more than €30bn in fines, penalties and buyback costs.

The company said last month it had reached "a proposed plea resolution" in Canada without giving more details.

Volkswagen pleaded guilty after being charged with 60 counts of breaching the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and providing misleading information.

Prosecutors proposed to fine VW $196.5m Canadian dollars (£110m).

Emissions scandal

Volkswagen has been hit with a flurry of legal actions since 2015, when it admitted to US investigators that it had installed software on its cars to cheat pollution tests.

The company has since said that 11 million cars worldwide had the software, which could improve the performance of vehicles when they were being tested for emissions.

In May 2019, it set aside an additional €5.5bn in contingent liabilities amid ongoing lawsuits around the world.

Last week, Poland's consumer watchdog UOKiK said it was fining Volkswagen more than 120 million zlotys (£24m) for misleading customers about vehicle emissions.

In December the firm was hit with a A$125m (£66m) fine by Australia's consumer watchdog, the highest ordered by a court for breaches of Australian consumer law.