According to German correspondent Derk Marseille, the sentence was already in the air. “He has already made a partial confession after a 2.5 year trial.” Stadler later confessed that it didn’t end sales of vehicles that may have been equipped with manipulative software fast enough, even after the emissions scam became public in 2015.
Stadler was arrested in 2018. For years, he maintained his innocence, saying he was duped by engineers within the company into using fraudulent software. With that software, measurements of nitrogen emissions from diesels were misled. As a result, diesels appeared to emit fewer harmful substances than they actually did.
Cell phone and good
In May, Stadler had already pleaded guilty to his role in the diesel scandal. The court had promised Stadler a suspended prison sentence in March if he admitted his guilt and paid a fine of 1.1 million euros. The two co-defendants, former head of engine development and later Porsche board member Wolfgang Hatz and an Audi engineer, also received suspended sentences for fraud. Hatz received a two-year suspended prison sentence and a €400,000 fine. The engineer received a 21-month suspended prison sentence and a €50,000 fine.
Also listen | Petrolheads – As Stadler confesses, it costs Audi a pretty penny
These are the first criminal sentences in Germany in the diesel scandal that came to light in 2015 at Volkswagen, the parent company of Audi. It later became clear that the cheating software was also being used by other automakers. Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is also due to stand trial over the scandal, but his case has been postponed indefinitely due to ill health.
“The German automotive industry prefers to look at this event through the rear-view mirror”
Affirmations
In addition to this criminal case against top Audi, civil cases are still pending against the automaker and parent company VAG, which also includes Volkswagen. In principle, these two issues are separate from each other, says Marseille. «It can certainly influence it, even if it is only the attitude of some magistrates. They will look at the social unrest this creates.’
The scandal has already cost VW around 30 billion euros in fines, legal costs and damages to car owners, mainly in the United States. In the Netherlands, several foundations have also filed lawsuits against car manufacturers. Car Claim, which also works with the Consumers’ Association, managed to convince a Dutch court last year that buyers of cheat diesel VWs are entitled to compensation. But the manufacturer appealed.
Rearview mirror
‘The German automotive industry prefers to look at this event through the rear view mirror. But once the German judiciary has its teeth in it, it won’t give up. If it will take more than two or even ten years,’ says Marseille.