Former Audi CEO sentenced in VW emissions scandal

Former chief executive officer of Audi, Rupert Stadler, has been given a suspended sentence of one year and nine months after he was convicted of fraud in the Volkswagen emissions scandal.

He was also handed a €1.1 million ($NZ1.97 million) fine which will go to the German government and various charities.

Stadler is the first executive in the Volkswagen Group, which includes Audi, to be convicted following the emissions scandal which is commonly referred to as Dieselgate.

In 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discovered that the German carmaker’s diesel vehicles were fitted with emissions-cheating software that reduced their nitrogen oxide output in a test environment, but not on the street.

While Stadler wasn’t responsible for the use of the software itself, he failed to stop the sale of affected vehicles in Germany even though he was aware of its existence.

He previously denied having anything to do with the scandal but only admitted his involvement when faced with a plea bargain to avoid prison time.

Two other defendants involved with the scandal were also sentenced, including former Audi executive Wolfgang Hatz and an engineer.

Hatz received a two-year suspended sentence and a €400,000 ($NZ715,710) fine, while the engineer was given a one year and nine-month suspended sentence along with a €50,000 ($NZ89,466) fine.