The former president of Volkswagen’s Audi brand has confessed he suspected emissions fraud before the so-called Dieselgate came to light, raising further questions about how many Volkswagen executives knew about the widespread cover-up. there is
Rupert StadlerThe former Volkswagen board member told the Munich district court on Tuesday that the vehicles could be sold even after he “recognized the possibility” that they were equipped with devices to defraud regulators and thus customers and investors. said he continued. They believe they have low emissions.
“Although we were not aware that the vehicle had been manipulated and that the purchaser was harmed as a result, we were aware of the possibility,” Stadler said in a statement read by his attorney. “I could see for myself that more attention was needed,” he added.
Mr. Stadler’s admission of wrongdoing due to inaction and false certification is the first by a former senior executive at the company. Volkswagenis trying to stay clear of the diesel emissions scandal uncovered by US regulators in 2015.
He denied the charges for more than two years, but earlier this year a court gave Stadler a suspended sentence and a €1.1 million fine if he pleaded guilty. This, along with past confessions from two Audi engineers, marked a turning point in the case. charged with him. A verdict is expected at the end of June.
The Dieselgate scandal was the biggest scandal to rock VW in recent years, with the company paying more than €32 billion in legal fees and fines related to the cover-up.
Complaints about Dieselgate’s treatment were also raised by investors at last week’s annual meeting of Volkswagen. Ingo Speich, head of corporate governance at Deca, the top 20 shareholder, criticized the “lack of transparency” for shareholders on the issue.
“We remain very dissatisfied with this contribution.” [VW’s] The audit committee is working to clarify the diesel scandal,” he said last week.
All eyes will be on the progress of the three cases against former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn, two of which are pending because of the 75-year-old’s poor health. The ongoing plan in Braunschweig, which seeks to establish whether Mr. Winterkorn knew of the wrongdoing, is being carried out without the participation of the former Volkswagen president.
Winterkorn was Stadler’s predecessor at Audi, where the emissions scandal began, before taking the top job at the Volkswagen Group.
of scandalThe incident, which forced Volkswagen to admit that it had installed software capable of manipulating nitrogen oxide tests in nearly 10 million vehicles, resonated throughout the auto industry, prompting companies to open loopholes in their emissions requirements. has been found to push the boundaries on how to exploit
Volkswagen said it was not involved in the lawsuits against Stadler, but added: “We are following these lawsuits and will closely examine the content of the statements and their consequences.”
