Former Audi boss convicted over emissions test fraud

The former head of Volkswagen’s luxury division admitted wrongdoing and regret for his failure to keep rigged cars off the market even after the scandal had become public knowledge

Rupert Stadler, former chief executive of German car manufacturer Audi (Matthias Schrader/AP)

A German court found ex-Audi boss Rupert Stadler guilty of fraud in connection with the carmaker’s diesel emissions scandal, making him the highest-ranking executive convicted over cars that cheated on emissions tests with the help of illegal software.

The Munich regional court handed Stadler a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and ordered him to pay a large fine as part of an agreement between his lawyers, the judge and prosecutors after he pleaded guilty last month, German news agency dpa reported.