Ex-Audi Boss Admits He Turned Blind Eye to Diesel-Rigged Cars

  • Stadler enters confession in Munich case as part of settlement
  • Ex-CEO says he thought it was possible that cars were rigged

Rupert Stadler in court in Munich, Germany, on May 16.

Photographer: Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images

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Rupert Stadler, the former head of Volkswagen AG’s Audi brand, admitted to a German court he should have stepped in when sales of rigged vehicles continued months after the diesel scandal broke.

The confession at his Munich trial on Tuesday is part of a settlementBloomberg Terminal with prosecutors and the court in exchange for a suspended sentence under which Stadler agreed to pay €1.1 million ($1.2 million). His statement was read out in court by his attorney, according to a spokesman for the tribunal.