Former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has been sentenced to 1 year and 9 months probation for alleged involvement in the Volkswagen "Dieselgate" scandal, becoming the first former board member of the Volkswagen Group to receive a suspended prison sentence.
This is just part of the ongoing Volkswagen "Dieselgate" case. Other cases currently underway include the trial of former Volkswagen executives in Brunswick, as well as the case against former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, which has been postponed due to health issues.
According to media reports, Rupert Stadler, former CEO of Audi, has been sentenced to 1 year and 9 months probation for his alleged involvement in the 2015 Volkswagen "Dieselgate" scandal, making him the first former board member of the Volkswagen Group to receive a suspended prison sentence.
The Munich court stated on Tuesday (June 27) that Stadler has been fined €1.1 million, with the fine going to the state treasury and non-governmental organizations. The prosecution initially sought a fine of €2 million for Stadler, citing his salaries from Audi and Volkswagen, as well as his financial and real estate assets.
The prosecution stated that engineers manipulated the engines to meet legal emission limits during laboratory tests but not on the road.
In 2015, Audi and its parent company, Volkswagen Group, admitted to using illegal software to cheat in emission tests, and the trial of Stadler is one of the most prominent court proceedings following the "Dieselgate" scandal. The judge previously stated that if Stadler pleaded guilty, he would face a prison sentence of 1.5 to 2 years.
The 60-year-old Stadler was accused of failing to prevent affected diesel cars from being sold in Europe, even after the manipulation issue was discovered by US authorities. However, Stadler has consistently maintained his innocence and blamed the engineers for the widespread cheating, claiming he was unaware of the manipulation.
It wasn't until May of this year that Stadler began to speak up. His defense lawyer, Ulrike Thole-Groll, stated at that time that Stadler was unaware of the manipulation and the harm it caused to buyers, but he acknowledged the possibility and urged caution.
Two other former Audi executives, Wolfgang Hatz and Giovanni Pamio, were also tried alongside Stadler. Hatz, former head of engine development at Audi and later chief engineer at Volkswagen Group, received a two-year suspended sentence and a €400,000 fine, while Pamio, former manager of Audi's diesel engines, received a one-year and nine-month suspended sentence and a €50,000 fine.
It is worth noting that this is just part of the ongoing Volkswagen "Dieselgate" case. Other cases currently underway include the trial of other former Volkswagen executives in Brunswick, as well as the case against former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, which has been postponed due to health issues.
