Offices of Volkswagen and Audi Chiefs Searched in Raid, Warrant Says -
By JACK EWINGMARCH 19, 2017
FRANKFURT — German officials included the offices of both Volkswagen’s chief executive
and the head of the Audi division when they raided company premises last week as part of an investigation into emissions fraud, according to a copy of the search warrant.
But the warrant, signed by a judge in Munich, allowed investigators to seize documents
and other items such as appointment calendars, copies of emails, mobile phones and electronic passwords from Mr. Müller and Mr. Stadler, and numerous other current or past Volkswagen and Audi employees.
The warrant, used by Munich prosecutors as part of an investigation
that focuses on Audi’s role in the scandal, allowed officials to search company departments including sales, marketing, personnel, engine development and legal compliance, along with the executive offices.
The document, which also included a map of Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, names
47 people whose property is subject to seizure, including Mr. Müller and Mr. Stadler.
Mr. Müller said last week that no current member of the Volkswagen management board, a group
that includes Mr. Stadler, was involved in any wrongdoing.
Mr. Müller, 63, spent most of his career at Audi, rising to become head of product management
before being named chief executive of Volkswagen’s Porsche division in 2010.
Mr. Stadler, 54, has been chief executive of Audi since 2007, and a member of the Volkswagen management board since 2010.
