[RahulNagaraj]

Rupert Stadler, Former boss of Audi, has become the highest-ranking executive to be convicted of fraud in the diesel emissions scandal from 2015.

According to reports, the ex-Audi boss has received a 21-month suspended prison sentence from a German court. Stadler will also pay a fine of 1.1 million euros, which will go to charitable groups. The sentence was a result of an agreement between Rupert's lawyers, the judge and prosecutors after he pleaded guilty last month.



The Munich regional court also ordered suspended prison sentences and fines to the former head of engine development, Wolfgang Hatz and a former Audi engineer, identified only as Giovanni P for privacy reasons.

Reports state that Rupert Stadler, has been charged with fraud and false certification by prosecutors. Stadler is said to have let cars with the rigged software be sold even after the USA Environmental Protection Agency uncovered the fraud by Volkswagen & Audi in late-2015. Stadler resigned from his post as Audi chief and a member of the Volkswagen board in 2018 after he was held and detained for 4 months. Since then, Stadler has paid 4.1 million euros in damages.

The diesel emissions scandal cost Volkswagen more than $30 billion in fines and settlements and even resulted in two US executives being sent to prison.

Source: Autoblog

Link to Team-BHP news

[sreerknair]

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

According to reports, the ex-Audi boss has received a 21-month suspended prison sentence from a German court. Stadler will also pay a fine of 1.1 million euros, which will go to charitable groups. The sentence was a result of an agreement between Rupert's lawyers, the judge and prosecutors after he pleaded guilty last month.

Hence proved that Money can buy happiness and Prisons are reserved for the common non-elite folks of this planet even in the "Developed" world

[TheBigV]

Just confirms the notion that Justice can be bought, be it a 1st world economy or a developing one. The lady with the scales is not blindfolded thoroughly...

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by TheBigV

Just confirms the notion that Justice can be bought, be it a 1st world economy or a developing one. The lady with the scales is not blindfolded thoroughly...

Strange remark? Nobody has been bought. Whether you approve of it or not in many countries plea bargaining is part of the normal legal world. The judge, prosecutor or anybody else did not get bought. They were doing their job. They did not get any bribes or reward.

Jeroen

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Strange remark? Nobody has been bought. Whether you approve of it or not in many countries plea bargaining is part of the normal legal world. The judge, prosecutor or anybody else did not get bought. They were doing their job. They did not get any bribes or reward.

Jeroen

I think that the remark meant to say that 'a financial fraud' can be setoff but parting away with all or some of the gains, and he was trying to highlight the irony behind that provision in the (local nations) law; which can otherwise mean jail term to a person with meagre or no source to pay back.

Indirectly - do a fraud so big that you are able to pay back a bit and escape jail term?

[sen2693]

What does suspended sentence mean though? I have vaguely heard it means one does not have to spend time in prison but not sure what it exactly means

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

I think that the remark meant to say that 'a financial fraud' can be setoff but parting away with all or some of the gains, and he was trying to highlight the irony behind that provision in the (local nations) law; which can otherwise mean jail term to a person with meagre or no source to pay back.

Indirectly - do a fraud so big that you are able to pay back a bit and escape jail term?

No, it does not work like that. The prosecutors set the fine based on personal situation. If you are wealthy you get a higher fine. If you have no money, there is simply no fine. People have bargain oleaded in case of murder and received a lower sentence, with no fines, because they had no income, no money. Still, they managed to get a lower sentence.



Jeroen

[true_sedan]

Originally Posted by sen2693

What does suspended sentence mean though? I have vaguely heard it means one does not have to spend time in prison but not sure what it exactly means

The judge sentences the accused to serve a suspended sentence. Judge then sets a few conditions and if the accused satisfies those conditions he/she will remain in probation outside prison. If the accused does not fulfil the conditions then the judge has the right to send you to an ACTUAL prison with walls and fences.

In this case the the primary condition set by that judge is the 1.1 million euros fine. Literally Peanut peanuts for the Audi chief.

[amitoj]

Ah. Here I thought finally a high ranking, rich executive will be behind bars, until I read that it is a suspended sentence. But then again, if you look at it objectively, what does putting someone in prison really achieve in such cases of fraud? Will that prevent the perpetrator from doing it again? Will that right the wrong? Maybe, maybe not but it will surely cost the taxpayer some money to keep them in prison. Perhaps this is indeed better than throwing him in jail.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Ah. Here I thought finally a high ranking, rich executive will be behind bars, until I read that it is a suspended sentence. But then again, if you look at it objectively, what does putting someone in prison really achieve in such cases of fraud? Will that prevent the perpetrator from doing it again? Will that right the wrong? Maybe, maybe not but it will surely cost the taxpayer some money to keep them in prison. Perhaps this is indeed better than throwing him in jail.

I think that is the whole idea behind plea bargaining. To avoid spending money on an expensive trial and reduce sentences.

Very few crimes are prevented by (long) jail sentences. In fact the countries with the longest jail times for certain felonies, tend to have the most people in jail. Death penalty being the ultimate example that simply doesn’t work as a deterrent.

Even so, apart from this specific case, I am not so sure about whether I really approve of plea bargaining. Throwing people in jail might not work in terms of recidivism, but it certainly gives a feeling of retribution and justice.

Jeroen

[anjan_c2007]

The Audi boss though getting the court's order for a suspended sentence is better off than getting sentenced to a prison term. Here he is under the 21 month suspended sentence that will not land him behind the bars. But this sentence is no doubt a conviction by the court and this conviction gets imprinted as his criminal record in case he commits any further crime. The preconditions as in the court order need to bd followed by him though.

Not every automobile company boss is as lucky, clever and scheming as Carlos Ghosn of Renault Nissan who ducked his prison sentence and bail condition. He escaped in a musical instrument box from Japan to Lebanon via Turkey on 30th December 2019, by private jet, breaking his bail conditions. In early January 2020 the Interpol issued a red alert notice for him but he's cosily spending his time in Lebanon.