A German court found former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler guilty on Tuesday of involvement in years of fraud involving “cheating software” in hundreds of thousands of Volkswagen cars — Audi is part of Volkswagen. Report that German media. Stadler receives a suspended sentence of one year and nine months and has to pay large fines. He is the most senior executive convicted of fraud involving illegally obtained allowances.
Volkswagen sold so-called ‘clean’ diesel cars from the beginning of the century. But a few years ago it turned out that the car manufacturer used pirated software in mandatory tests to cover up the high emissions. Stadler was Audi’s CEO from 2007 to 2018 and was also a member of the Executive Board of the Volkswagen Group from 2010. He had maintained his innocence for years, but last May he finally confessed. In exchange for his confession, the court gave Stadler a suspended sentence instead of the risk of a prison sentence.
The emissions scandal eventually cost Volkswagen more than 30 billion dollars (27.5 billion euros) in fines and settlements. Two US executives responsible for using the pirated software to make diesel cars appear fuel efficient have previously served prison terms. The scandal marked a tipping point in the diesel car industry and helped accelerate the shift to electric cars.
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