Germany puts first ex-Audi boss on trial over ‘dieselgate’
Five years after ‘dieselgate’ emissions cheating revelations rocked the car industry, ex-Audi CEO Rupert Stadler on Wednesday becomes the first top executive to stand trial in Germany.
Stadler, 57, faces charges of “fraud, falsifying certifications and false advertising”, according to the indictment that will be read out before the Munich district court. He will be in the dock alongside former Audi and Porsche manager Wolfgang Hatz and two Audi engineers, all facing the same charges.
German car giant Volkswagen – whose subsidiaries include Porsche, Audi, Skoda and Seat – admitted in September 2015 that it had installed manipulating software in 11 million diesels worldwide. The so-called defeat devices made the vehicles appear less polluting in lab tests than they were in real driving conditions, allowing the vehicles to emit toxic gases far beyond the legal limit.
Not a single senior executive has been convicted over the scam in Germany, although two VW employees have received jail terms in the United States.
Intense media interest in the Stadler case coupled with coronavirus precautions have led court officials to move proceedings to a larger room in a justice building outside...