Google Offices in France Raided for Tax Fraud and Money Laundering Evidence

French authorities raided Google’s Paris offices looking for tax fraud or money laundering evidence, officials said on May 24.

FILE - This Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 file photo shows the Google logo printed on a carpet during the inauguration of the new Google cultural institute in Paris, France. French police have raided Google's Paris offices as part of an investigation into "aggravated tax fraud" and money laundering, authorities said Tuesday. AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File

French authorities raided Google’s Paris offices looking for evidence of tax fraud or money laundering, officials said on May 24.

Anti-corruption officials and 25 information technology experts carried out the operation, said France’s financial prosecutor’s office.

The raid happened at dawn and involved 100 investigators—authorities were still there into the afternoon.

Google allegedly owes 1.6 billion euros in taxes to the French government, according to Le Parisien.  

“These searches are the result of a preliminary investigation opened on June 16, 2015, relative to aggravated tax fraud and organized money laundering following a complaint from French fiscal authorities,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

“The investigation is aimed at finding out whether Google Ireland Ltd. is permanently established in France and if, by not declaring some of its activity on French soil, it has failed to meet its fiscal obligations, in particular with regard to corporation tax and value added tax,” said the statement.

A police car outside the Paris offices of US Internet giant Google on May 24, 2016, in Paris, as police carry out a search as part of a tax fraud investigation. French authorities believe Google owes 1,6 billion euros (USD 1,7 billion) in back taxes, a source close to the matter said in February. Matthieu Alexandre/AFP/Getty Images