Ex-Audi Executive Wolfgang Hatz's Sentence Appealed by Munich Prosecutors; Stadler's Conviction Finalized

The Munich public prosecutor's office has appealed against the suspended sentence of Wolfgang Hatz, the former head of Audi engine development. Behorde made this announcement on Tuesday.

However, it is important to note that the suspended sentences for former CEO Rupert Stadler and an engineer have been finalized. In their case, the verdict of the Munich Regional Court has been accepted by the public prosecutor's office, as stated by public prosecutor Matthias Enzler.

A week ago, the Economic Criminal Chamber sentenced Hatz to a two-year probationary prison term and a fine of 400,000 euros. Hatz, who served as the long-time head of engine development at Audi and later became a board member at Porsche, admitted to manipulating exhaust gas control in large diesel engines. He orchestrated the design of software that ensured compliance with nitrogen oxide limits during testing but not on the road. This allowed the automakers to avoid retrofitting larger Adblue tanks for exhaust gas purification.

Although Hatz was not the instigator of these manipulations, he failed to halt the sale of the affected cars in Germany in a timely manner. The public prosecutor had already agreed to the suspended sentence during the trial.

According to the verdict, Stadler bears responsibility for selling 17,177 manipulated diesel cars, leading to financial damages of €41 million. Meanwhile, the two co-accused were charged with causing damages of €2.3 billion.

Previously, the prosecution had requested a prison sentence of three years and two months for Hatz, who had spent nine months in pre-trial detention until June 2018 in Stadelheim. Stadler must also pay a fine of €1.1 million, with a portion of the amount directed to the German government and the remainder divided among various nonprofit organizations.

Additionally, the court handed down suspended sentences and fines for two codefendants. Wolfgang Hatz, the former Audi engines head and later Porsche board member, received a two-year probationary sentence and a fine of €400,000. Engineer Giovanni Pamio was sentenced to one year, and nine months on probation and a fine of €50,000.

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