DETROIT, April 21 (Reuters) - 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. Reuters first reported Thompson's planned hiring on Wednesday. (Reporting by Nick Carey in Detroit and David Shepardson in Washington)