For four years, former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has been walking around with a big black cloud hanging over him. Not a sooty cloud of illegal diesel smoke, but the kind of cloud that dominates your thoughts when you think you might get sent to prison for up to 10 birthdays.
But that cloud is starting to lift. This week Stadler finally told a German court he admits his role in the dieselgate emissions scandal, having been charged with fraud in July 2019, though technically he only admitted that he thought it was possible that rigged cars were sold. Stadler had already agreed a deal earlier this year that meant he would escape with a 1.5-2-year suspended prison sentence rather than proper jail time if he confessed to a charge of fraud by negligence.
And this week’s official admission means Stadler is close to being able to put the saga behind him and move on. The ex-Audi boss had always previously denied all wrongdoing, but now acknowledges that he allowed vehicles that had been manipulated with the addition of emissions cheat devices to remain on sale even after the devices had been discovered by those outside VW.
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German prosecutors claim Stadler knew about the scam by September 2015, and possibly much earlier, but turned a blind eye, meaning the illegally modified cars were still being sold in 2018.
The verdict is expected in June, and should result in Stadler being able to walk free from court, though he won’t escape all forms of punishment. Besides being given a suspended sentence, which obviously means he’ll have a criminal record that could impact his ability to work, Stadler already spent four months in pre-trial detention and is likely to be hit with a chunky €1.1 million ($1.2 m) fine.
Stadler’s former colleague, ex-Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn was also due to stand trial over his role in the dieselgate scandal, but the case has been paused due to his ailing health. The dieselgate affair cost VW more than $30 billion in fines and settlements.