Dieselgate Resurgence: Ex-Audi CEO Faces Conviction in German Regulation Scandal
Reports have emerged in Germany that former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is about to become the upper-echelon automotive executive convicted in the diesel emissions fiasco perpetrated by Volkswagen Group. A Munich court issued a preliminary assessment on Tuesday, stating that an accusation of fraud had been substantiated.
With the corporate scandal first emerging in 2015, Stadler and a handful of German engineers weren’t formally charged until 2020. Though Audi had almost immediately confessed to cheating on emissions tests when news of the situation ( often referenced as “Dieselgate”) went global.
According to Reuters, Judge Stefan Weickert had indicated that Stadler, former Audi executive Wolfgang Hatz, and engineer Giovanni Pamio could even face prison sentences which he would only consider suspending if they offered a full confession. There is also a fourth defendant in the case. However, the court had said it did not see any substantial evidence indicating a crime had been committed.
Under German law, the maximum sentence for fraud would be 10 years in prison. But that presumes the defendants would be proven guilty of egregious levels of corporate malice.
From Reuters:
The trial is one of the most prominent court proceedings in the aftermath of the diesel scandal at Volkswagen and its subsidiary Audi. Revelations that millions of emissions tests had been manipulated emerged in September 2015.
According to prosecutors, the three engineers manipulated engines in such a way that they complied with legal exhaust emission values on the test bench but not on the road. Stadler is accused of failing to stop the sale of the manipulated cars after the scandal became known.
The court said it saw no evidence substantiating the other charges against the defendants - indirect involvement in falsification of documents and false advertising tied to illegal pollution levels in its cars.
A verdict is expected in the coming months, with the court then having to decide the appropriate punishment.
[Image: ANAID studio/Shutterstock]
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A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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One time; doing time; for a long time.
They Audi know better than that