Volkswagen to Be Overseen by Former Justice Department Official

A federal prosecutor on Friday confirmed that the government plans to name former deputy U.S. attorney general Larry Thompson to serve as independent monitor of Volkswagen AG under a plea agreement over its diesel emissions scandal.

U.S. District Judge Sean Cox is holding a hearing in Detroit Friday, where he is expected to sentence the world's largest automaker to three years' probation as part of a $4.3 billion settlement announced in January.

Volkswagen pleaded guilty in March to fraud, obstruction of justice and falsifying statements after admitting to installing secret software in 580,000 U.S. vehicles.