BRAUNSCHWEIG (Reuters) – A former Volkswagen (DE:) manager, who is on trial over the carmaker’s emissions-cheating scandal, blamed company culture on Thursday for his and others’ silence on the matter, but said he would have acted differently had he known the consequences.

Hanno Jelden is the accused and was responsible for the creation of illegal software.

Jelden stated that he had told superiors about the software which prompted the so-called “Dieselgate.” scandal but was forced to remain silent.

Volkswagen admitted to deceiving U.S. diesel engine test results in 2015, causing the worst crisis Volkswagen has ever faced. It also cost Volkswagen over 32 billion Euros ($37.7 Billion).

“I never made a secret out of this function [of the software],” Jelden said in a courtroom in the city of Braunschweig, where the trial is being held. If I’d known what legal consequences it could have, this would not have happened.

Jelden defended the company’s claim that the software which eventually disabled the vehicle’s emissions filter had been designed to lower engine noise.

Jelden stated that the function was designed to enhance the car’s acoustics and called the approval of the function “a huge mistake.”

According to Braunschweig Prosecutors, the trial began Thursday and included four former and current Volkswagen engineers and managers. They were accused of trying to maximize profits and their performance bonuses while failing to bring up the matter.

According to judicial sources, the defendants claim that they didn’t know or were aware of the manipulation.