[Dottore]

I agree with almost all you say. Wiedeking lost the plot fairly quickly. Old story. Smart guy. Success went to his head. Next stop meglomania. His attempted takeover of VW is a good example of just how far he had lost it.

When I say Wiedeking "played by the rules" I refer strictly to the matters that are the subject of the current lawsuit—namely the allegations of market manipulation. From what I read here, he's squeaky clean on that score—but dodgy courts and dodgy law may make this a moot point.

I disagree that the lawsuit is small beer for VW. I gather the principal reason the merger has not been finalized is that the VW guys want to be in a position to reneg on (or renegotiate) the deal if the potential liabilities from this lawsuit appear too large.