Feb 2, 2026, 1:43 p.mFeb 2, 2026, 1:43 p.m
The second criminal trial surrounding the diesel scandal at Audi began with hours of reading out the charges. Before the Munich II Regional Court, four former employees of the car manufacturer – two ex-board members, a division manager and a former main department manager – are facing, among other things, allegations of fraud. False certifications and criminal advertising are also possible.
In all cases it concerns diesel engines with manipulated software, which meant that emissions standards were met on the test bench, but not in real operation. Depending on their position in the company, the defendants are said to have played a different role in this: partly they were said to have been involved in the development of the engines, partly they were said to have commissioned the manipulation.
The former board members are accused of having approved the production of the manipulated vehicles or not stopping them later and not recalling the cars.
How many vehicles are involved – and therefore how many cases of fraud are accused and what damage – also differs depending on the defendant. However, they all involve a six-digit number, up to more than 430,000 vehicles.
The assumed damage is enormous. They range from tens of millions to more than three billion euros. Again, with differences between defendants and depending on how damages are calculated.
Lower celebrity level
In the second trial, the investment bank is less prominent than in the first criminal trial. At that time, among others, the car manufacturer’s former boss, Rupert Stadler, was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison on probation and ordered to pay 1.1 million euros.
This judgment is now legally binding. At that time, the process dragged on for more than 170 days amid great public interest; this time 50 dates have already been scheduled.
The diesel scandal shook the automotive industry in 2015. At that time it became known that the VW Group, to which Audi also belongs, had used illegal software in millions of cars that falsified the emissions tests. The exhaust gas purification system worked on test benches, and in normal road traffic the vehicles emitted significantly more pollutants.
In addition to the verdicts against the former Audi employees in Munich, there have also been verdicts against VW employees in Braunschweig – there also with prison sentences. A second process is already underway there.
Rather small hall
Unlike the first Audi criminal trial, which partly took place in Munich’s largest courtroom in the Stadelheim prison, this time the atmosphere is much more conservative. The proceedings began on Monday in a rather small hall of the criminal justice center on old, gray-brown carpet and tables made of medium brown veneer.
The defendants followed the reading of the charges without any major noticeable emotion. Sometimes they took notes. (hkl/sda/awp/dpa)