Volkswagen emission scandal dogs Germany’s reputation

The revelations about Volkswagen’s emissions fraud, added to recent scandals at Siemens and Deutsche Bank, show a German corporate establishment that is out of step with a society that is actively trying to atone for 20th-century sins, writes Leonid Bershidsy

AS IT accepted the resignation of chief executive Martin Winterkorn, the executive committee of Volkswagen’s supervisory board praised his “towering contributions” to the company that stands to lose much of its $37bn (€32.8bn) cash stash making amends for major fraud committed on Winterkorn’s watch.

Such graciousness is a German tradition, and it raises the question whether there’s something fundamentally wrong with the country’s corporate establishment.