FRANKFURT Munich prosecutors arrested an Audi employee on suspicion of fraud and false advertising in connection with the carmaker’s emissions scandal, the first arrest in Germany related to Volkswagen’s diesel scandal.

The Audi employee was arrested at the behest of Munich prosecutors following its own searches, and not at the request of United States authorities, a spokeswoman for the Munich prosecutors office said.

The arrested employee was in court on Tuesday and is now being held in custody, the spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman declined to comment on whether it is a current or former Audi employee.

No members of the Audi management board are being personally investigated, the spokeswoman further said.

Audi declined comment.

The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio with directing employees at the company, a division of Volkswagen AG, to design software to cheat U.S. emissions tests in thousands of Audi diesel cars.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor.; Writing by Andreas Cremer)