Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was arrested today as German authorities continue to investigate Volkswagen's diesel emissions manipulation, the scandal known as Dieselgate.
The arrest follows last week's search of Stadler's home by Munich prosecutors. They are investigating the CEO on suspicion of fraud and falsifying documents related to diesel emissions results.
A statement from the Munich prosecutor said that a German judge has ordered Stadler to be remanded in custody. That came at the request of prosecutors, to prevent obstruction or hindering of the investigation by concealing or modifying evidence. Other searches had been conducted earlier this year against workplaces and private residences of two former Audi board members.
Last week, the Munich public prosecutor's office said that it was looking at 20 suspects at Audi, and had searched Stadler's apartment and that of a second not yet named board member. Stadler had been implicated by engineers who were investigated and then testified as part of the diesel emissions inquiry. While the diesel emissions scandal first came to light in late 2015 and affected more than 11 million cars globally, Audi announced in May of this year that it had found emissions-related issues in another 60,000 cars. At that time, Stadler said that more recalls were likely.
The public prosecutor's office said in a statement that the focus of the investigation is now on manipulation of emissions on 3.0L diesel V6 engines intended for vehicles in Europe.
Stadler started with Volkswagen in 1997 and was named head of product planning in 2002. He has been CEO of Audi since January 2010.
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