Carlos Ghosn is suing Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and seeking 15 million euros ($13.4 million) in damages from the two companies he used to chair, claiming their Dutch joint venture unjustly terminated his employment contract, French media reported Wednesday.

While Nissan-Mitsubishi B.V., set up in 2017 to promote cooperation by the two Japanese automakers, ended its contract with Ghosn in March, Nissan has said it intends to dissolve the company.

Ghosn's lawyers said the termination of the contract was "not sufficiently substantiated," according to the online edition of Le Figaro.

In January, Mitsubishi Motors said they had discovered that Ghosn received about 7.82 million euros "illegally" from NMBV between April and November 2018.

Ghosn was accused of being employed and receiving payment from the joint venture without going through a formal procedure and ordering an unauthorized person to write up his employment contract.

Nissan Motor CEO Hiroto Saikawa and Mitsubishi Motors Chairman Osamu Masuko serve as directors of the joint company.