Reuters (Paris) - A second of three executives fired on suspicion of industrial espionage at Renault plans to take legal action against the French carmaker for defamation, his lawyers said on Wednesday.
Michel Balthazard, former vice president of advanced engineering at Renault, has denied the charges against him and one of his lawyers promised earlier this week to take the matter to an labour tribunal.
In a statement, Balthazard's lawyers said they would "pursue all possible legal options to bring to justice the people and actions which have gravely damaged his (Balthazard's) honour in a context of excessive media coverage".
Xavier Thouvenin and Pierre-Olivier Sur are pursuing a two-pronged strategy to defend Balthazard, suing Renault, while attempting to reinstate him in the company by appealing to a labour tribunal at the same time.
On Tuesday, a colleague of Balthazard, Bertrand Rochette, said he planned to sue Renault for defamation.
French state prosecutors launched an inquiry into industrial espionage at the carmaker on Friday after Renault filed a legal complaint alleging information had been passed to a foreign power, without saying which one.
The carmaker suspended the employees the previous week on suspicion they had leaked information about its high-profile electric car technology.
Balthazard received his dismissal letter at the weekend, according to his lawyer, Xavier Thouvenin.
The letter accused Balthazard of passing on strategic information in exchange for bribes, an accusation Balthazard denies, Thouvenin said.
The third executive to be fired, Matthieu Tenenbaum, deputy head of Renault's electric vehicle programme, has also received his dismissal letter and is considering his next move, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
The French government has dubbed the espionage case "economic warfare", while Renault has said it was the victim of an "organised international network".
