Germany: "Dieselgate" trial involving former Audi boss kicks off in Munich

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Former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler appeared before a Munich court, Wednesday, to become the first top executive to face trial over the "dieselgate" emission cheating scandal.

Stadler is being charged with fraud, falsifying certifications, and false advertising and faces up to 10 years in jail. He is on trial alongside three other Volkswagen Group executives and engineers.

"Mr. Stadler is accused of having knowledge of the manipulation of the engines and not preventing the resale of vehicles, which means allowing vehicles with manipulated engines to continue to be sold," explained Andrea Mayer, senior public prosecutor at the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office.

"He was not a decision-maker and he was bound by instructions, of course, he received instructions and then there are many, many details and you have to wait and see," Walter Lechner, Rupert Stadler's lawyer said.

The trial is expected to last over two years and is taking place at the Munich Higher Regional Court, the city's largest courtroom, due to coronavirus concerns.

In 2015 Volkswagen, whose subsidiaries include Audi and Porsche, admitted having installed software to manipulate emission tests in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide.

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