Rupert Stadler, the chief executive officer of Audi, has reportedly been taken into custody in the latest development in the Volkswagen Group’s diesel emissions cheating scandal.
According to Bloomberg, German authorities have arrested the 55-year-old in Munich in connection with the scandal that first hit headlines in September 2015.
Prosecutors confirmed to the publication that they had detained Stadler because of a risk that he may suppress evidence, later saying in an official statement that “the suspect has been seen by a judge, who has ordered him to be remanded in custody”.
Stadler has been Audi CEO since January 2010.
Recently, German prosecutors issued an administrative order against the Volkswagen Group providing for a fine of €1-billion.
[UPDATE: The VW Group’s supervisory board has issued a statement saying it has accepted Stadler’s request to “release him from his duties as member of the board of management” of the German group.
“The release is a temporary measure, put in place until the circumstances surrounding Stadler’s arrest have been clarified,” the statement added.
“Abraham Schot, who is to take over the position of chairman of the board of management at Audi in the interim, will at the same time be invited to participate in the meetings of the group board of management as a guest.”]
