In the infidelity process against VW managers, the long-time works council boss Bernd Osterloh reported on his career and the renunciation of highly paid management positions.
Among other things, it was about the Group's HR director with a million-dollar salary, said Osterloh on Monday as a witness in the Braunschweig town hall.
"The offers were clear, I just had to say yes, then that would have been implemented," said Osterloh.
The trial by the regional court is about allegedly excessive salaries and bonus payments to senior works councils at Volkswagen. Three former and one still incumbent personnel manager of the VW group are accused, including the two ex-group personnel managers Horst Neumann and Karlheinz Blessing. The chamber hopes that Osterloh's information and statements from other witnesses will provide more information on the circumstances under which the salaries were approved by the management staff. In years of high profits and bonuses, Osterloh received total remuneration of up to 750,000 euros.
The public prosecutor's office accuses them of having released inappropriately lavish remuneration for Osterloh and other influential works council members at the largest European car manufacturer between 2011 and 2016.
This would have reduced parts of the profit and tax payments - the charge is embezzlement.
Separate aid proceedings are pending against the 65-year-old himself, and the allegations in the case of the four management executives are not directed against him.
The long-time head of the workforce representation moved in May as HR director to VW commercial vehicle holding company Traton in Munich.