Former Audi chief executive Rupert Stadler will be released from jail, where he's been held since June, while the investigation over diesel-emission cheating against him continues, a Munich court ruled.
The 55-year-old must post bail and was ordered not to contact any people relevant to the investigation. These measures were necessary to hedge the risk he may tamper with evidence, the Munich Appeals Court said Tuesday in an emailed statement. The evidence against him is strong, the court said.
In August, a lower court denied his request to be freed, but he's successfully appealed. He was held in a prison close to the Bavarian town of Augsburg since June 18th.
Stadler, who stepped down October 2nd, was the highest profile executive detained since Audi parent company Volkswagen AG was engulfed in the diesel-cheating scandal nearly three years ago. Throughout the crisis, as sanctions topped €27 billion, Volkswagen rejected claims that senior managers such as Stadler were aware of the criminal scheme that stretched over almost a decade. - Bloomberg