Axel Eiser was arrested on June 9 in Croatia, at the request of the United States where he is charged in the dieselgate case. This former German engine manager at Audi, a premium brand of the Volkswagen group, was arrested on the Croatian-Slovenian border, said the Croatian Interior Ministry, "on the basis of an international arrest warrant "Issued by the American authorities, according to the same source.
The scandal of rigged diesel engines erupted in 2015, when Volkswagen admitted to having rigged 11 million vehicles with software capable of making them appear less polluting in laboratory tests than on the roads. Manipulations on diesel engines at the giant with twelve brands have splashed almost the entire German automotive industry, industrial flagship and pride of the country, which is still struggling to get out of this historic crisis.
Several officials charged
Axel Eiser is one of several former and current leaders of the Volkswagen group indicted in the United States. They were all, some from 2002, responsible for the engine development division at Audi in Germany.
An investigating judge ordered the preventive detention of Axel Eiser in Pula (north-western Croatia). He adds that the Croatian authorities informed the German embassy of his arrest.
A scandal over 30 billion euros
Dieselgate has already cost the world's largest manufacturer more than 30 billion euros, most of which is in the United States. Several brands of the Volkswagen group have agreed to pay a total of 2.3 billion euros in fines in Germany.
The first major criminal trial in Germany will open in September with the former boss of Audi, Rupert Stadler, accused in particular of "fraud", "issuing false certificates" and "false advertising".
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