Arrested Audi CEO Rupert Stadler leaves company

Suspended Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is leaving the automaker, parent company Volkswagen said Tuesday, more than three months after he was arrested as part of a probe into the manipulation of diesel emissions controls.

Volkswagen said its supervisory board approved an agreement with Stadler that will see him leave with immediate effect. It said in a statement that Stadler was unable to fulfill his duties as a board member due to his continuing detention and that he wants "to concentrate on his defense."

The company added that the settlement of contractual details "depends on the course and outcome of the criminal proceedings."

FILE - In this March 15, 2017 file photo Rupert Stadler, CEO of German car producer Audi, briefs the media with a red light of a TV camera in foreground during the annual press conference in Ingolstadt, Germany. German carmaker Volkswagen said Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 that suspended Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is leaving the company, more than three months after he was arrested as part of a probe into parent company Volkswagen’s manipulation of diesel emissions controls. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader, file)

After Stadler was arrested in mid-June, Audi temporarily relieved him of his duties at his own request and named sales chief Abraham 'Bram' Schot as interim CEO.

German prosecutors ordered Stadler's arrest due to fears he might try to evade justice. A week earlier, authorities had searched his private residence on suspicion of fraud and indirect improprieties with documents.

The emissions scandal has rocked Volkswagen since 2015.

FILE - In this March 15, 2017 file photo Rupert Stadler, CEO of German car producer Audi, checks his watch during the annual press conference in Ingolstadt, Germany. German carmaker Volkswagen said Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 that suspended Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is leaving the company, more than three months after he was arrested as part of a probe into parent company Volkswagen’s manipulation of diesel emissions controls. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader, file)

Stadler joined Audi in 1990 and had been with Volkswagen ever since. He became Audi CEO in 2007 and joined Volkswagen's management board three years leader.

Schot said that Audi nearly doubled its sales and revenue in Stadler's time as CEO.

FILE - In this May 13, 2009 file photo Rupert Stadler, CEO of German car producer Audi, right, and Martin Winterkorn, then chairman of the supervisory board, left, smile as they pose for the media at the Audi shareholders' meeting in Neckarsulm, Germany. German carmaker Volkswagen said Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 that suspended Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is leaving the company, more than three months after he was arrested as part of a probe into parent company Volkswagen’s manipulation of diesel emissions controls. (AP PhotoThomas Kienzle, file)

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to outline his vision for Europe to become a more assertive global power against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and other security and economic challenges, in a speech on Thursday ahead of pivotal European Parliament elections in June.

The French president plans to focus on strategic and geopolitical issues in Europe, including defense, the economy, protecting the environment and safeguarding democracy, his advisers said. Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its third year, is expected to be the main theme of the speech Macron will deliver at Paris’ Sorbonne University on Thursday.

France has been an firm supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and Macron has often clashed with other Western leaders as he has insisted that Europe must stand by the country at any cost. Last month, the French president alarmed European leaders by saying that sending Western troops into Ukraine to shore up its defenses shouldn’t be ruled out.

Macron, a staunch European, is also expected to rally support for his centrist Renaissance party ahead of the June 6-9 elections for the European Parliament. The French president lost his majority in France’s most influential house of parliament, the National Assembly, after the 2022 election to the far-left coalition and the far-right National Rally party.

The social situation in France remains tense as Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games this summer, amid protests from teachers, police officers, and farmers in recent weeks. The protests follow huge demonstrations last year against Macron’s ultimately successful proposal to rise the retirement age.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 18, 2024. European Union leaders on Wednesday debated a new "European Competitiveness Deal" aimed at helping the 27-nation bloc close the gap with Chinese and American rivals amid fears the region's industries will otherwise be left behind for good. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)