Former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is willing to make a confession regarding his involvement with the diesel emissions scandal in return for a suspended sentence and payment of €1.1 million, according to Stadler and his legal team.
The trial began in 2020, after Volkswagen and Audi acknowledged in 2015 that they had used illegal software to cheat on emissions tests. Stadler had previously denied the accusations.
His defense team has announced that a statement will be issued in two weeks, and the judge will then decide if the statement is a full admission. The prosecution has also consented to the agreement. The court had said Stadler could be sentenced to 1.5 to 2 years in prison, which would be suspended if he made a confession.
The trial is one of the most noteworthy proceedings in the aftermath of the diesel scandal at Volkswagen and its offshoot Audi. It was revealed in September 2015 that millions of emissions tests had been manipulated. Prosecutors alleged that engineers had altered engines to comply with legal emissions values when tested but not when on the road. Stadler was charged with neglecting to prevent the sales of the manipulated cars once the scandal was revealed.
Stadler is being tried alongside former Audi executive Wolfgang Hatz and an engineer. Hatz and the engineer have already confessed to manipulating engines. -Reuters
