While he has so far disputed the charges, a former director of manufacturers Audi and Porsche, subsidiaries of Volkswagen, pleaded guilty during his trial in Germany to obtain a reduced sentence.
A former director of manufacturers Audi and Porsche, subsidiaries of Volkswagen, tried in Germany in the “dieselgate” affair, admitted Tuesday at his trial to having installed trick software to distort the emissions of polluting gases.
While he has so far disputed the charges, Wolfgang Hatz pleaded guilty to a reduced sentence as part of an agreement with the court. It is true that he and two other employees installed the prohibited software, explained the lawyer of this former executive, before the regional court of Munich.
A “turning point” in the trial
In this river trial which opened two and a half years ago, the first in Germany to try the dieselgate case in criminal proceedings, the main defendant is the former boss of Audi Rupert Stadler, 60 years old. He has so far denied any responsibility for the rigged engines affair.
Wolfgang Hatz’s confession is “a turning point” in the trial, presiding judge Stefan Weickert said. An admission of guilt should allow him to reduce the sentence incurred, by ten years maximum. The Munich court had offered a suspended sentence in exchange for a confession.
He faces an 18 to 24 month suspended prison sentence.
Wolfgang Hatz was aware of the illegality in Germany of the device he helped install on the engines of the Volkswagen group, his lawyer said on Tuesday. An illegal character “recognized and accepted” by his client, he said.
In the case of Wolfgang Hatz, the court and the defense recommended a suspended prison sentence of 18 to 24 months, and a fine of 400,000 euros. But the prosecution is still opposed to this solution because of the late nature of the confessions.
If he confesses his guilt, the former Audi boss could also be sentenced to an 18 to 24 month suspended prison sentence. His case is to be discussed at a closed-door hearing on Tuesday afternoon.
Other leaders involved
Former Audi boss Rupert Stadler is being prosecuted for “fraud”, “issuing false certificates” and “misleading advertising”. Another confessed Audi engineer, Giovanni Pamio, received a suspended prison sentence of between 18 and 24 months on Tuesday and will have to pay a fine of 50,000 euros.
The automotive giant Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 that it had installed devices in 11 million vehicles of the group’s brands that made them appear, during laboratory tests, to be less polluting than they actually were. The dieselgate caused a worldwide scandal and heavily tarnished the reputation of the German automobile industry.
