Former Volkswagen Group government Oliver Schmidt, whose 2017 arrest on the Miami airport made international headlines, was launched from jail after serving about half his sentence on expenses associated to the diesel-emissions scandal.

A ruling, issued by a court docket within the German metropolis of Lueneburg, allowed Schmidt to be launched on parole, his lawyer Alexander Saettele stated Wednesday. Schmidt, 52, had been sentenced to seven years by a U.S. court docket, however had been allowed to return to his home country in November to serve the rest of his time period.

The diesel scandal, uncovered by U.S. regulators in September 2015, nonetheless haunts VW. The rigging of engines to make it seem that they may cross U.S. emissions assessments has value the world’s largest automaker at the very least 32 billion euros ($38.7 billion). Lawsuits from disgruntled buyers and prospects are set to pull on for years.

Schmidt was VW’s liaison with U.S. regulators when he was arrested on the Miami airport in January 2017 on his manner again house from a trip. His apprehension despatched shock waves by company Germany.

In Germany, inmates could be launched after serving two thirds of their time period. Parole after solely half of the time is uncommon, however could be granted to first time offenders who demonstrated good habits and are deemed unlikely to commit crimes sooner or later.