The German prosecution has resumed its investigation into the allegations regarding the huge salaries of the members of the Works Council at the German car manufacturer Volkswagen.

A spokesman for the German public prosecutor in Braunschweig announced today, Wednesday, that several places were searched in this context yesterday, Tuesday, stating that the search was carried out "against the backdrop of paying salaries to board members in violation of the preferential treatment ban in labor regulations."

According to company sources, several offices were searched and documents and data were seized as evidence.

The prosecution also reported that four private residences were searched "not related to Volkswagen."

For its part, a spokesperson for Volkswagen said: "We confirm that on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, a search took place in the office halls at the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg conducted by the public prosecutor in Braunschweig," indicating that the Volkswagen Group is fully cooperating with the investigative authorities.

These actions come against the backdrop of a case ongoing for years regarding suspicions that members of the Works Council at Volkswagen received excessive salaries. Earlier this year, the Federal Criminal Court ruled to overturn acquittals for four former human resources managers at Volkswagen whom the prosecution accuses of embezzlement, believing they approved exorbitant salaries for the members of the Works Council.

According to the Federal Court's ruling, the case must be returned to the regional court in Braunschweig, which had previously ruled for acquittal.

Volkswagen had reduced the salaries of dozens of Works Council members following the Federal Court ruling, and many affected members have filed complaints with the labor court, which has accepted nearly all the complaints submitted so far, accepting 16 out of a total of 17 complaints, as stated by a spokesperson for the Works Council.