French police have raided Volkswagen's French headquarters and seized documents relating to the company’s ongoing emissions scandal, according to a judicial source.
The raid follows similar moves by the German police (earlier this month) and the Italian police last week. Authorities are investigating the company’s admitted use of illegal software that lets cars know when they are undergoing tests and allows them to temporally reduce their emissions.
According to AFP, apart from raiding the company’s main office in Villers-Cotterets, French police also entered another Volkswagen office near Paris.
German prosecutors said on Friday their investigation has identified fewer than 10 suspects in the scandal.
The cheating software has been used in 11 million cars worldwide. Volkswagen will now have to undertake one of the largest vehicle recalls in history to correct the problem. The company has already outlined plans to recall 8.5 million vehicles sold in the European Union.
Analysts say the recalls, as well as regulatory fines and lawsuits could cost the company as much as 35 billion euros ($55 billion). Nevertheless, new Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller said the company could recover from the scandal in two to three years.
According to Reuters, Mueller said in a speech to Volkswagen managers in Leipzig that the company needs to transfer more power to regional operations and brands.