For the former Audi boss Rupert Stadler, the whole thing will start on Wednesday.
Then the first German criminal case begins in the diesel scandal.
A co-defendant wants to "give comprehensive evidence".
In
VW
-
Diesel scandal
begins on Wednesday
in Munich
Germany's first criminal case.
The media
interest
in the process is huge.
Ex-Audi boss
Rupert Stadler
should be the focus of attention at the start of the process
.
Munich - Five years after the VW * diesel scandal was uncovered, the first German criminal trial in this matter is now beginning.
The long-time Audi * boss
Rupert Stadler
has to
answer
before the
Munich
Regional Court from Wednesday (September 30)
, together with the former
Porsche
board member
Wolfgang Hatz
and two engineers.
The judiciary does not want to see the fact that the trial takes place in Munich-Stadelheim prison and not in the courthouse as a bad omen for the accused: the trial room in Stadelheim is simply the largest.
And yet it is not nearly enough.
280 journalists have been accredited, there are just 10 places for them in the hall -
unfortunately
Corona
forces you to "manage deficiencies", said the court spokesman.
The process is expected to take over two years.
Every Tuesday and Wednesday until December 2022. The investigation files comprise a good 40,000 pages.
To begin with, the prosecutors want to read out the 90-page indictment for five to six hours.
VW diesel scandal in court: Ex-Audi engineer wants to unpack
"Fraud, indirect false certification and criminal advertising" is their allegation.
According to the public prosecutor's office, engine developer Giovanni P.
confesses
to a large extent, his former colleague
Henning L.
unreservedly.
Walter Lechner
, the defense attorney for Giovanni P., announced a statement after the indictment was read out: “Our client will give comprehensive testimony as before.” He was not a decision maker, but three levels below the board: “He did something from above was approved and instructed. "
In
2007,
Audi
engineers had a dubious idea to trick the emissions tests and thereby comply with the limit values.
Software throttles nitrogen oxide emissions when the car is on the test bench.
On the road, however, the exhaust gases exceeded the limit value.
A smaller tank was enough for the
AdBlue-
urea mixture, which cleans the exhaust gases, and the motorists did not have to fill in the stuff themselves, which could be done during the upcoming maintenance appointments.
Two demands that the sales people and the bosses are said to have made.
The scandal with the
Audi
- and later also
VW
engines
- was
exposed
in autumn 2015 in the USA.
The commercial criminal chamber under its chairman Stefan Weickert now has to clarify who did what, initiated it or knew and ignored it.
VW: Ex-Audi boss Rupert Stadler denies having known about diesel manipulation
Stadler was head of
Audi
for almost twelve years from 2007
- until 2018, when, shortly after the investigation was initiated against him, he spoke about an employee's leave of absence in a bugged phone call, was in custody for four months because of the risk of blackout and
Audi
separated from him.
But he continues to deny any knowledge or involvement in diesel manipulation.
A statement from Stadler is not expected at the beginning, but in the course of the process.
The indictment accuses Hatz, once head of engine development at
Audi
, and the two engineers of having developed large three-liter engines with the illegal shutdown function.
These engines were then installed in a good 434,000 large vehicles from Audi, Porsche and VW and sold in Europe and the USA.
Hatz, who spent months in custody in Stadelheim, rejects the allegations.
“Nothing will change on our line.
I will make an opening statement, ”said his defense attorney Gerson Trüg.
VW subsidiary: Ex-Audi boss faces up to ten years in prison
The allegations against Stadler, however, are less serious.
The public prosecutor's office accuses him of having
known about the manipulated Audi engines
after the scandal in the
USA was
uncovered
in September 2015
at the latest
, but still allowed sales to continue.
The @FCBayern is driving change.
A full fleet of Audi e-trons makes them the first football club in the world to embrace e-mobility.
Get a behind the scenes look at the car handover - a day full of fun with the team. # Audi #etron #emobility #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/VeJXdLdGzo
- AudiOfficial (@AudiOfficial) September 20, 2020
The 57-year-old can expect a gauntlet run - as the most prominent defendant, he is of course the focus of public interest, and countless television cameras will
follow
his way to the
Stadelheim prison
.
In theory, if convicted, the defendants face up to ten years in prison.
In the USA, two VW employees were sentenced to several years in prison.
In Braunschweig, the district court has
admitted
the indictment against long-time
VW
group boss
Martin Winterkorn
.
He was Stadler's predecessor as
Audi
boss
until 2007
.
The trial date for Winterkorn is still open.
The
diesel scandal with eleven million manipulated cars has so far cost
the
VW
group 32 billion euros - for compensation, retrofitting, and fines.
It could also be very expensive for the accused if they are found guilty: According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, they then bear the costs of the proceedings - including expert and travel expenses for witnesses from the USA, for example.
Audi is likely to claim back severance payments and demand compensation from the board members.
(dpa)
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen Digital editorial network.