Berlin: Suspended Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is leaving the company, more than three months after he was arrested as part of a probe into parent company Volkswagen’s manipulation of diesel emissions controls. Volkswagen said on Tuesday it has reached an agreement with Stadler that will see him leave with immediate effect.
It said in a statement that Stadler “wants to concentrate on his defence.” Stadler was arrested in mid-June. Audi temporarily relieved him of his duties at his own request and named sales chief Abraham ‘Bram’ Schot interim CEO. German prosecutors ordered Stadler’s arrest due to fears he might try to evade justice. A week earlier, authorities had searched his private residence on suspicion of fraud and indirect improprieties with documents.The emissions scandal has rocked Volkswagen since 2015.
