WASHINGTON, Ramadan 23, 1437, Jun 28, 2016, SPA -- German automaker Volkswagen AG will pay as much as $15.3 billion after admitting it cheated on U.S. diesel emissions tests for years, agreeing to buy back vehicles from consumers and provide funding that could benefit makers of cleaner technologies. The largest-ever automotive buyback offer in the United States came in a deal announced on Tuesday by the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Environmental Protection Agency and California state regulators. The proposed consent decree confirmed that VW will set aside $10.033 billion to cover buybacks or fixes for diesel cars and sport utility vehicles that used illegal software to defeat government emissions tests, Reuters reported. VW admitted in September that it installed secret software that allowed U.S. vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution. VW still may face criminal charges and oversight by an independent monitor, a person briefed on the matter said. A criminal settlement could include measures to ensure VW would not engage in further cheating. Shares of VW rose as much as 5 percent on Tuesday, and closed up 1.7 percent at 107.85 euros. -- SPA 00:35 LOCAL TIME 21:35 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w