Rupert Stadler said he had "accepted" that vehicles were put on sale with unauthorized software and had "failed" to inform Volkswagen partners, according to the short statement read by lawyer Ulrike Thole-Groll.
The 60-year-old former boss of the firm with the rings is the main defendant in the first criminal trial opened in Germany to judge the global dieselgate scandal.
Questioned after the brief statement of his defense, Rupert Stadler confirmed with a "yes" the words read.
He has been on trial for two and a half years alongside other former Volkswagen executives and had so far disputed the charges.
But negotiations with the Munich court changed the situation a few weeks ago: Rupert Stadler had agreed to plead guilty, having to receive a sentence less severe than the ten years in prison incurred.
Mr. Stadler, a financier by training, is not accused of instigating the fraud but of having knowledge of the installation of illegal software and of having done nothing to stop it, continuing to support the sale of the rigged cars.
The accused "regretted" not having "been able to resolve the crisis" within Volkswagen related to the rigged engines and therefore agrees to bear criminal responsibility, according to his lawyer.
The court is expected to deliver its judgment in June. The former CEO is expected to be given a suspended prison sentence of up to two years and pay a fine of 1.1 million euros, if the court's proposal is accepted.
The automotive giant Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 to having installed in 11 million vehicles of the brands of the group devices making them appear, during laboratory tests, less polluting than they were in reality.
"Dieselgate" caused a global scandal and heavily damaged the reputation of the German car industry.
© 2023 AFP