Audi CEO Arrested on Charges of Emission Fraud

Rupert Stadler, the CEO of Audi, was arrested on Monday, June 18, in connection with fraud regarding the emission levels of the company's vehicles. German prosecutors and Volkswagen, Audi's parent company, announced the arrest of this high-ranking executive. Last week, German police searched Stadler's home to gather documents and evidence. Stadler is accused of fraud and indirectly issuing false certificates. In this context, the Munich prosecutor's office stated: "The accused appeared before the judge, who ordered his transfer to custody." Last March, while Stadler was giving his annual speech in Ingolstadt, officials entered Audi for inspection. German prosecutors say Audi has sold at least 210,000 diesel vehicles in the U.S. and Europe since 2009, which contained software designed to underreport emissions. In February, German prosecutors issued a search warrant for Audi facilities in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, and Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg. The only person who has been officially charged so far is the former head of Audi's engine development division. This individual, whose name has not been disclosed under German law, has been in prison since September of last year. He was also an executive at Porsche. The Volkswagen emissions scandal in 2015 caused a major uproar in Europe and the U.S., with Volkswagen admitting to installing software in over 11 million diesel vehicles to understate emissions.