According to Bild am Sonntag newspaper, Schmidt's lawyer is expected to file a lawsuit over unfounded dismissal with a German court. Volkswagen did not comment whether the company was legally obliged to dismiss the official in relation to his conviction, the newspaper added.
Schmidt served as the top emissions compliance officer for Volkswagen in the United States. He was arrested in January over his role in the carmaker’s use of software that was programmed to hide diesel car pollution from US regulators. In early December, he was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of $400,000.
Another scandal erupted in July when media reported that leading German automakers including Volkswagen coordinated their actions on matters such as designing diesel emissions treatment systems in diesel vehicles. Following the reports, the European Commission stated it was examining the allegations concerning the suspected price fixing.
