Google searched: Paris police search offices in tax probe

Google's Paris office has been searched by gendarmes as part of a €1.6bn tax fraud probe, according to reports.

Google's France headquarters in the ninth arrondissement were searched from 0500 local time, following a complaint about the US giant's tax evasion, a report from Le Parisien website stated, citing a police source, while agency AFP also reported the raid.

Hundreds of tax officials and law enforcement brigade of the financial crime unit were said to be on the premises, backed up by five 'magistrat' judges.

France is seeking €1.6bn (£1.3bn) in back taxes from Google, a finance ministry source told Reuters in February.

In January Google agreed to pay the UK government £130m in back taxes for the period between January 2005 and June 2015, but French finance minister Michel Sapin ruled out striking a deal with the US internet giant, saying the sums at stake in France were “far greater” than those in Britain.

The tax probe comes on top of formal charges against Google by the European Commission in April for violating antitrust laws over its mobile operating system Android and charges last year for abusing its dominant position in the internet search market.

If the charges are proven, Google could in theory face multi-billion-euro fines.