A German court has handed Rupert Stadler, the former Audi boss accused of negligence in the 2015 VW Dieselgate emissions fraud scandal, a suspended sentence and a fine of 1.1 million euros.
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Former Chairman of Audi rupert stadler a German court has given him a suspended sentence of one year and nine months for negligence fraud in the Volkswagen Group ‘Dieselgate’ Diesel emissions manipulation scandal.
Stadler, who led Audi from 2007 to 2018, he has also been fined 1.1 million euros (1.8 million Australian dollars) in the sentence handed down this Tuesday, European time.
According to prosecutors, Audi rigged the diesel engines with software that allowed them to meet Europe-mandated exhaust emission standards on a laboratory dyno, but far exceeded the limits in real-world driving conditions.
The scandal, known as Dieselgate, has cost Audi’s parent company Volkswagen tens of billions of dollars in fines, compensation and buyback programs for owners of the affected diesel vehicles.
The Audi boss was accused of harboring knowledge of the diesel tampering methods used and failing to stop the sale of deceptive diesel models after the diesel emissions tampering scandal broke in 2015.
Stadler’s sentencing comes after he reached a plea agreement under a plea agreement with the judge and prosecutors in May 2023.
It provided a suspended sentence in lieu of jail time, plus a monetary fine in exchange for a full admission of guilt.
By accepting the plea agreement, Stadler became the first former Volkswagen Group board member to admit knowledge of diesel tampering measures through the use of illegal software, admitting regret and failure to prevent tampered cars from going public. the sale.
Stadler’s co-defendants in the case, former Audi board member responsible for powertrain development Wolfgang Hatz and former Audi powertrain development engineer Giovanni Pamio, have been charged with similar manner of negligence fraud in matters related to the Dieselgate scandal.
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Mr. Hatz received a two-year suspended sentence and a €400,000 (AU$650,000) fine, while Mr. Pamio received a nine-month suspended sentence and a €50,000 (AU$80,000) fine.
In plea agreements similar to Mr. Stadler’s, both Mr. Hatz and Mr. Pamio have pleaded guilty to tampering with diesel emissions in engines developed and produced by Audi.
The prosecutor’s office in Munich reacted positively to Stadler’s sentence.
According to spokesman Andreas Grape, the court acted within the parameters of the plea agreement reached between Stadler and the prosecutors involved in the case in May, and that the prosecutors had already consented to the suspension of sentence and fines for Stadler. and Pamio.
However, in Hatz’s case, prosecutors say they will review the sentence ahead of a possible review, as they requested a prison sentence of three years and two months.
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