Ex-Audi Boss Faces Verdict In German 'dieselgate' Case

Munich, Germany, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jun, 2023 ) :Ex-Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is Tuesday expected to be convicted and sentenced over the "dieselgate" scandal, the highest-ranking former executive to be punished over the emissions cheating controversy that rocked the car industry.

He confessed last month to his role in the saga but, as part of a plea deal, is expected to avoid jail time and instead face a hefty fine and suspended sentence.

The 60-year-old admitted he allowed vehicles equipped with manipulating software to remain on sale even after learning of the scam.

German car giant Volkswagen -- whose subsidiaries include Porsche, Audi, Skoda and Seat -- plunged into crisis after admitting in September 2015 that it had installed software to rig emission levels in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide.

The so-called defeat devices made the vehicles appear less polluting in lab tests than they were on the road.

Throughout his trial, which started in 2020, Stadler had denied wrongdoing.

But last month at a Munich district court, his lawyer said that Stadler "neglected" to inform business partners that cars with so-called defeat devices were still going on the market.

His defence team have previously said that under the plea deal, he will face a suspended sentence of up to two years, and will make a payment of 1.1 million Euros ($1.2 million).

Volkswagen had always insisted that the diesel trickery was the work of a handful of lower-level employees acting without the knowledge of their superiors.

Stadler himself was not accused of instigating the scam.