Admin I Tuesday, March 28, 2023
MUNICH – Former Audi chief executive Rupert Stadler could be considered for a suspended jail term, provided he acknowledges guilt in relation to charges concerning cheat software for diesel engines, a Munich court said on Tuesday.
For the past two and a half years, Rupert Stadler and three co-defendants have been facing charges relating to the manipulation of exhaust emissions from diesel engines.
Following preliminary evaluation of the evidence to date, Stadler, former head of engine development at Audi, Wolfgang Hatz, and chief engineer known as Giovanni P under privacy laws, could be considered for suspended sentences in the event of a full confession, presiding judge Stefan Weickert said.
Consideration could also be given to dropping the trial of the fourth accused, who has made a full confession, Weickert said.
The three engine developers are accused of manipulating diesel engines in the cars of Audi, VW and Porsche from 2008 onwards in such a way that they passed emissions testing under controlled conditions but reverted to higher NOx emissions once on the road.
Stadler is accused of becoming aware of this after the scandal blew up in the United States in 2015, while halting production of manipulated engines in Europe only in 2018.
He rejects the charges and says he was deceived by the engineers.
The court has come to the preliminary conclusion that Stadler should have probed further after internal investigations by Audi lawyers and information from the German vehicle licensing authority in July 2016. He should have acknowledged the possibility of cheat software being used.
