Audi CEO arrested in Diesel Emissions Case

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was arrested on suspicion of the diesel leak fraud scandal at parent company Volkswagen, German prosecutors said.

German prosecution agency stepped up its investigation of emissions fraud for Volkswagen luxury brand Audi last week and included Rupert Stadler as a suspect in fraudulent and false advertising.

Prosecutors said that the arrest was reasonable because of the “risk of concealing evidence.”

A Volkswagen spokesman, which owns Audi, confirmed that he is being detained, refused to provide further details.

A spokesman stated that “For Mr. Stadler, the presumption of innocence continues to apply”.

When the scandal broke out three years ago, vehicles had been equipped with equipment designed for emissions testing.

These devices were originally found in the VW’s car, but its Audi subsidiary also fell into a scandal.

Last month, it acknowledged the issue of emissions software for another 60,000 A6 and A7 models equipped with diesel engines.

There was in total 850,000 Audi cars recalled last year. Only some of them were found in need of modification.

The so-called diesel emissions scandal was first exposed in September 2015.

Volkswagen admits that nearly 600,000 cars sold in the United States are equipped with “failed devices” designed to circumvent emissions tests.

The automaker stated that it has installed software on 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide and can tell them when to conduct tests and reduce emissions.