Whistleblower News From The Inside -- January 27, 2017

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

German prosecutors open fraud inquiry into former Volkswagen CEO — German prosecutors are investigating former Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn on suspicion of fraud, looking into when he first knew that the carmaker was rigging diesel emissions tests.  It is the second investigation into Winterkorn’s role in the scandal by prosecutors in the German town of Braunschweig near Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg headquarters.  The former CEO is already being investigated over possible market manipulation.  Reuters

Citigroup paying $18M for overbilling clients — The SEC today announced that Citigroup Global Markets has agreed to pay $18.3 million to settle charges that it overbilled investment advisory clients and misplaced client contracts during a 15 year period.  The SEC’s order finds that at least 60,000 advisory clients were overcharged approximately $18 million in unauthorized fees because Citigroup failed to confirm the accuracy of billing rates entered into its computer systems in comparison to fee rates outlined in client contracts, billing histories, and other documents.  SEC

Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova to run in Boston Indoor — Russian doping whistleblower Yulia Stepanova is planning to return to the track this weekend at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix.  She will be considered a neutral athlete, a status approved by the IAAF after she gave evidence to the World Anti-Doping Agency of systematic cheating in Russian sports.  Stepanova and her husband played a central role in the IAAF’s decision to suspend Russia’s track and field federation from global competition and exclude all but one member of its team from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.  ESPN