Former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was found guilty of fraud on Tuesday in connection with the company’s 2015 emission cheating scandal, widely known as the "dieselgate".

A Munich court handed 21 months of prison sentence to Stadler and ordered him to pay 1.1 million euros ($1.2 million) fine as part of an agreement between his lawyers, the judge and prosecutors after&nbsp;he pleaded guilty last month, German news agency dpa reported.

This makes him the highest-ranking executive convicted over cars that cheated on emissions tests with the help of illegal software.

In September 2015, German car giant Volkswagen —whose subsidiaries include Porsche, Audi, Skoda and Seat —admitted that it had installed software to rig emission levels in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide.

The rigged devices made the vehicles appear less polluting in lab tests than they were on the road.

<h2>Initially claimed innocent&nbsp;</h2>

During the initial phase of the trial, which started in 2020, Stadler had denied wrongdoing. But in May, the 60-year-old admitted that he let the vehicles potentially equipped with manipulating software to be sold in the markets even after learning of the scam.

Stadler’s lawyer argued that his client "neglected" to inform business partners that cars with so-called defeat devices were still going on the market.

Throughout the trail, Stadler wasn’t named the main instigator of the scam, even Volkswagen had always maintained that the diesel trickery was the work of a handful of lower-level employees acting without the knowledge of their superiors.

But the German prosecutors argued that Stadler that even after learning of the cheat, allowed vehicles with defeat devices to be sold until early 2018.

For 11 years, Stadler had been Audi's chief executive until he was arrested in 2018. He was also a member of the management board at Volkswagen group.

He spent four months in pre-trial detention owing to prosecution concerns that he would try to influence witnesses.

<h2>Others also charged</h2>

Another co-defendant, an Audi engineer who previously confessed, was given a 21-month suspended sentence and a 50,000 euro fine, reports AFP news agency.

Volkswagen's former CEO Martin Winterkorn was also supposed to stand trial for fraud over the scandal, but his case has been indefinitely postponed due to his poor health.

The "dieselgate" saga shocked Germany and is seen as the country's biggest post-war industrial scandal.

It has already cost VW around 30 billion euros in fines, legal costs and compensation to car owners, mainly in the United States.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was found guilty of fraud on Tuesday in connection with the company’s 2015 emission cheating scandal, widely known as the "dieselgate".

Former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was found guilty of fraud on Tuesday in connection with the company’s 2015 emission cheating scandal, widely known as the "dieselgate". A Munich court handed 21 months of prison sentence to Stadler and ordered him to pay 1.1 million euros ($1.2 million) fine as part of an agreement between his lawyers, the judge and prosecutors after he pleaded guilty last month, German news agency dpa reported. This makes him the highest-ranking executive convicted over cars that cheated on emissions tests with the help of illegal software. In September 2015, German car giant Volkswagen —whose subsidiaries include Porsche, Audi, Skoda and Seat —admitted that it had installed software to rig emission levels in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide. The rigged devices made the vehicles appear less polluting in lab tests than they were on the road. Initially claimed innocent During the initial phase of the trial, which started in 2020, Stadler had denied wrongdoing. But in May, the 60-year-old admitted that he let the vehicles potentially equipped with manipulating software to be sold in the markets even after learning of the scam. Stadler’s lawyer argued that his client "neglected" to inform business partners that cars with so-called defeat devices were still going on the market. Throughout the trail, Stadler wasn’t named the main instigator of the scam, even Volkswagen had always maintained that the diesel trickery was the work of a handful of lower-level employees acting without the knowledge of their superiors. But the German prosecutors argued that Stadler that even after learning of the cheat, allowed vehicles with defeat devices to be sold until early 2018. For 11 years, Stadler had been Audi's chief executive until he was arrested in 2018. He was also a member of the management board at Volkswagen group. He spent four months in pre-trial detention owing to prosecution concerns that he would try to influence witnesses. Others also charged Another co-defendant, an Audi engineer who previously confessed, was given a 21-month suspended sentence and a 50,000 euro fine, reports AFP news agency. Volkswagen's former CEO Martin Winterkorn was also supposed to stand trial for fraud over the scandal, but his case has been indefinitely postponed due to his poor health. The "dieselgate" saga shocked Germany and is seen as the country's biggest post-war industrial scandal. It has already cost VW around 30 billion euros in fines, legal costs and compensation to car owners, mainly in the United States. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Audi’s ex-CEO Rupert Stadler found guilty in ‘dieselgate’ scandal

Rupert Stadler (60), former CEO of auto giant Audi pleaded guilty at the "dieselgate" fraud trial in Germany on Tuesday. This made him the highest-ranking former executive to confess in emissions cheating scandal that rocked the car industry.

At a district court in Munich, he admitted that he allowed the vehicles which were equipped with manipulating software to remain on sale even after learning about the scam. Stadler's confession has come as part of a plea deal that will allow him to avoid jail time. He is on trial since 2020.

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.

Use of the so-called defeat devices meant that the vehicles caused less pollution in lab tests than on the road.

"In the course of addressing the diesel issue" after the revelations became public, Stadler "neglected" to inform business partners that cars with so-called defeat devices were still going on the market, his lawyer Ulrike Thole-Groll told the court in a statement.

She said that in doing so, her client (Stadler), was "accepting that vehicles equipped with the illegal software would go on sale".

Asked by the judge whether the statement was correct, Stadler replied: "Yes."&nbsp;

Until now, Stadler had denied any wrongdoing.&nbsp;

But his defence team announced earlier this month that he had accepted a plea deal that included a confession in exchange for a suspended sentence of up to two years.

Stalder has also agreed to make a payment of 1.1 million euros ($1.2 million). A verdict in this matter is expected to come in June.&nbsp;

Volkswagen, the parent company of Audi, has always said that the 'dieselgate' was&nbsp;something done by a handful of lower-level employees and that they were acting without the knowledge of their superiors.

Stadler himself was not accused of instigating the trickery.

However, prosecutors in Germany say that Stadler knew about the scam by end of September 2015 "at the latest" and he still allowed sale of thousands of more vehicles until early 2018.&nbsp;

Now that Stadler has admitted that he failed to intervene, he faces a conviction for fraud by negligence. His lawyer said that he "regretted" that he was not able to "resolve the crisis".

Stadler had been Audi's chief executive for 11 years when he was arrested in 2018. He was also a member of the management board at Volkswagen group.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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Rupert Stadler (60), former CEO of auto giant Audi pleaded guilty at the "dieselgate" fraud trial in Germany on Tuesday. This made him the highest-ranking former executive to confess in emissions cheating scandal that rocked the car industry.

Rupert Stadler (60), former CEO of auto giant Audi pleaded guilty at the "dieselgate" fraud trial in Germany on Tuesday. This made him the highest-ranking former executive to confess in emissions cheating scandal that rocked the car industry. At a district court in Munich, he admitted that he allowed the vehicles which were equipped with manipulating software to remain on sale even after learning about the scam. Stadler's confession has come as part of a plea deal that will allow him to avoid jail time. He is on trial since 2020. 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. Use of the so-called defeat devices meant that the vehicles caused less pollution in lab tests than on the road. "In the course of addressing the diesel issue" after the revelations became public, Stadler "neglected" to inform business partners that cars with so-called defeat devices were still going on the market, his lawyer Ulrike Thole-Groll told the court in a statement. She said that in doing so, her client (Stadler), was "accepting that vehicles equipped with the illegal software would go on sale". Asked by the judge whether the statement was correct, Stadler replied: "Yes." Until now, Stadler had denied any wrongdoing. But his defence team announced earlier this month that he had accepted a plea deal that included a confession in exchange for a suspended sentence of up to two years. Stalder has also agreed to make a payment of 1.1 million euros ($1.2 million). A verdict in this matter is expected to come in June. Volkswagen, the parent company of Audi, has always said that the 'dieselgate' was something done by a handful of lower-level employees and that they were acting without the knowledge of their superiors. Stadler himself was not accused of instigating the trickery. However, prosecutors in Germany say that Stadler knew about the scam by end of September 2015 "at the latest" and he still allowed sale of thousands of more vehicles until early 2018. Now that Stadler has admitted that he failed to intervene, he faces a conviction for fraud by negligence. His lawyer said that he "regretted" that he was not able to "resolve the crisis". Stadler had been Audi's chief executive for 11 years when he was arrested in 2018. He was also a member of the management board at Volkswagen group. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Former CEO of Audi pleads guilty to 'dieselgate' fraud to avoid jail time

A German court said on Wednesday that former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is ready to plead guilty in the 'Dieselgate' saga. Upon reaching an agreement with the Munich district court, Stadler will make the guilty plea in lieu of receiving a suspended sentence and a fine.

A German court said on Wednesday that former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is ready to plead guilty in the 'Dieselgate' saga. Upon reaching an agreement with the Munich district court, Stadler will make the guilty plea in lieu of receiving a suspended sentence and a fine. According to a court spokesperson, the ex-Audi chief will receive a prison sentence of up to two years and a fine of $1.2 million. Stadler's trial began in late 2020 and up until last week, he refused to plead guilty. However, after pleading guilty, the auto executive's confession is expected to be read out in two weeks. Notably, Stadler joined the company in 1990 and had been with Volkswagen ever since. He became Audi's CEO in 2007 and joined VW's management board three years later. However, after the scandal broke out, Stadler went to jail temporarily in 2018 before being laid off by the company. The emissions-cheating scandal first broke out in 2015 and rocked the entire automobile world. Audi's parent company Volkswagen, which also operates subsidiaries such as Porsche and Skoda, admitted it had installed software to rig emission levels in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide. During the court proceedings, VW admitted that the cheating dated back to 2006. The cheating device allowed vehicles to appear less polluting in lab tests than they were on the roads. Research conducted by the University of West Virginia discovered that certain VW cars emitted up to 40 times the permissible levels of harmful nitrogen oxide when tested on the road. ALSO READ | Volkswagen 'dieselgate' fraud: Timeline of a scandal Former Audi exec pleads guilty Stadler's admission comes barely a week after Wolfgang Hatz, a former top executive at Audi pleaded guilty. Hatz confirmed that he and two other colleagues arranged the installation of banned software to rig emissions in diesel vehicles. Hatz's lawyer said the defendant "recognised and accepted" that in Germany the software would be considered an illegal defeat device and could also violate American laws. In March, the Paris Court of Appeal rejected a request by VW to dismiss charges of deception in a separate diesel emissions investigation in France. The auto giant argued that it could not be charged a second time for a similar offence, having already paid $1.1 billion in fines in Germany in 2018. WATCH | France launches legal probe into VW in Dieselgate scandal × Over eight years after the scandal broke out, it is still causing the 10-brand Volkswagen legal headaches. According to reports, the entire saga has cost the company more than $34 billion in damages, refunds and court fees. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Former Audi boss ready to plead guilty in 'Dieselgate' scandal

Citroen became the fourth automaker to reveal this week that it has been charged in France in connection with the 'dieselgate' emissions cheating scandal. The French automaker was charged by authorities over allegations of deception related to the sale of Euro 5 diesel vehicles in France between 2009 and 2015.

World Business Watch: French carmaker Citroen charged in 'dieselgate' scandal