A former executive of the manufacturers Audi and Porsche, subsidiaries of Volkswagen, tried in Germany in the “dieselgate” case, admitted on Tuesday in his trial to have installed misleading 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 a plea bargain. It is true that he and two other employees installed the prohibited software, explained the lawyer for this former manager, before the regional court in Munich.
A “turning point” in the trial
In this river trial that opened two and a half years ago, the first in Germany to try the dieselgate case in a criminal proceeding, the main defendant is the 60-year-old former head of Audi Rupert Stadler. He has so far denied any responsibility for the rigged engines issue.
Wolfgang Hatz’s confession is “a turning point” in the trial, said presiding judge Stefan Weickert. The guilty plea should allow you to reduce the sentence imposed, by a maximum of ten years. The Munich court had offered a suspended sentence in exchange for a confession.
He faces a suspended prison sentence of 18 to 24 months.
Wolfgang Hatz was aware of the illegality in Germany of the device he helped install in Volkswagen group engines, his lawyer said Tuesday. An illegal character “acknowledged 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 continues to oppose this solution due to the lateness of the confessions.
If he pleads guilty, the former Audi boss could also be sentenced to a suspended prison term of 18 to 24 months. His case will be discussed in a closed-door hearing on Tuesday afternoon.
Other leaders involved
Former Audi boss Rupert Stadler is on trial 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 must pay a fine of 50,000 euros.
Auto giant Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 that it had installed devices in 11 million group-brand vehicles that made them appear, during laboratory tests, to be less polluting than they actually were. Dieselgate caused a worldwide scandal and seriously tarnished the reputation of the German car industry.
Source: BFM TV
