VW CEO said to receive safe-passage deal from U.S.

Not long after U.S. authorities filed sealed charges against Volkswagen’s old chief executive officer, they granted the new CEO a rare safe-passage deal.

The Justice Department agreement allows Herbert Diess, promoted last month to lead the German automaker, to travel the world freely without fear of being arrested in connection with the U.S.’s diesel-rigging investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Diess also received a spoken assurance that he would be given advance notice should prosecutors seek to charge him in its emissions cheating probe, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deal is confidential. Diess, who joined the automaker a couple months before the scandal became public in September 2015, isn’t accused of wrongdoing.

The agreement essentially makes it possible for Diess to effectively run the sprawling 12-brand behemoth, which has 120 factories spread across the world. As CEO, one of his primary tasks will be hopping around the globe to represent the automaker at major events such as car shows, plant openings and new model releases. The deal was approved after the former CEO, Martin Winterkorn, who won’t enjoy the same freedom of movement, was indicted under seal in March. The charges against him were made public on May 3.

Former prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers described such a deal as uncommon — implying, possibly, that the U.S. believes it won’t charge Diess, or that he may be providing useful information in the ongoing investigation.

The Justice Department agreement also suggests that Diess has some concern about potential scrutiny by U.S. authorities, or at least wanted extra insurance against being detained during his frequent