[THE INVESTOR] South Korean prosecutors on Sept. 21 summoned a Volkswagen executive from Germany for the first time in a widening probe into the automaker’s emission-rigging scandal.

Detlef Stendel, emission certification manager from the VW headquarters, appeared at the Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office at 9:15 am.

“As a witness and an employee of Volkswagen, I am here to cooperate with the South Korean authorities and clear the facts,” he told reporters before entering the office. 

It is the first time that an executive from the German headquarters is being summoned by the prosecution since the state authorities launched a probe in January.

Stendel, who is in charge of emission certification process in Germany, was here to represent the automaker in 2011 when the Ministry of Environment held an advisory council after the state authorities found out VW emitted high levels of pollutants. During that time, VW had disregarded the ministry’s order to submit an explanation and an improvement plan for the emission level.

Investigators will try to find out what role the German headquarters played in the engine manipulation scheme here. The prosecutors suspect the German officials ordered the installation of the defeat device in its Audi and VW vehicles to pass the emissions test and sell them here.

The embattled model, which is equipped with EA 189 diesel engine, sold more than 125,000 units in South Korea, and 10 million units globally.

After interrogating Stendel, the authorities will decide whether to indict executives of the Korean unit, including former chief of VW Korea Park Dong-hoon, CEO of VW Korea Thomas Kuehl and Johannes Thammer, CEO of Audi Volkswagen Korea -- who had already been questioned by the prosecution.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)