Ex Volkswagen chief jailed over diesel scandal

A former Volkswagen executive has been sentenced to seven years in prison and a $400,000 (£298,778) fine, after admitting he helped the firm evade clean-air laws.

Oliver Schmidt, 48, is the second person to be imprisoned in the US over the diesel emissions scandal, BBC News reports.

Volkswagen first admitted in September 2015 that it had used illegal software to cheat US emissions tests.

The scandal has cost it almost $30bn.

US prosecutors say Volkswagen installed special software in certain diesel vehicles that allowed them to perform better during emissions tests than they did under normal driving conditions.

The emissions were sometimes 30 times higher than permitted under US rules.

Volkswagen sold almost 600,000 vehicles with the devices in the US between 2006 and 2015, and about 11 million globally. The allegations have also prompted probes in other countries and led to arrests in Germany.