The son of the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius,
has been taken into custody for police questioning in Paris as part of
an investigation into forgery, fraud and money laundering.
A preliminary inquiry into Thomas Fabius’s financial affairs was opened in France in 2013, with police paying particular attention to his purchase of a €7m (£5m) Paris flat, and how he funded it.
A police source told Agence France-Presse the acquisition of the 285 sq metre flat in a smart area of the French capital had raised concerns over potential money laundering. It was searched by officers on Tuesday.
Thomas Fabius’s lawyer confirmed he was in custody but would not comment further.
When the inquiry was opened two years ago, Fabius’s lawyer told French media the apartment had been paid for by “a deposit and a bank loan”.
Fabius, 34, who has long made headlines in France as an “enfant terrible”, is wanted in the US for allegedly writing cheques that bounced at a Las Vegas casino. He wrote cheques for more than $3.5m (£2.3m) to cover gambling debts on one night in May 2012, the day before his father became foreign minister, according to a Nevada arrest warrant seen by AFP. He could be arrested immediately if he sets foot on US soil.
Fabius is the foreign minister’s eldest son. He was three when his father, a leading Socialist, was named prime minister in 1984.
In the past, Fabius has launched various business ventures, as well having as a short spell as a TV presenter reporting on celebrities. He has often been photographed at parties and has spent millions of dollars in casinos in the past, referring to himself as a “roulette champion”.
In 2009, when one of his business ventures to sell chip and pin cards in Africa failed, a business partner launched legal procedings against him. He pleaded guilty to embezzling funds and was fined €15,000.
Fabius’s police questioning over the funds for his apartment came as the French parliament gave a standing ovation to his father for his part in negotiating the climate deal agreed in Paris by 196 countries.
A preliminary inquiry into Thomas Fabius’s financial affairs was opened in France in 2013, with police paying particular attention to his purchase of a €7m (£5m) Paris flat, and how he funded it.
A police source told Agence France-Presse the acquisition of the 285 sq metre flat in a smart area of the French capital had raised concerns over potential money laundering. It was searched by officers on Tuesday.
Thomas Fabius’s lawyer confirmed he was in custody but would not comment further.
When the inquiry was opened two years ago, Fabius’s lawyer told French media the apartment had been paid for by “a deposit and a bank loan”.
Fabius, 34, who has long made headlines in France as an “enfant terrible”, is wanted in the US for allegedly writing cheques that bounced at a Las Vegas casino. He wrote cheques for more than $3.5m (£2.3m) to cover gambling debts on one night in May 2012, the day before his father became foreign minister, according to a Nevada arrest warrant seen by AFP. He could be arrested immediately if he sets foot on US soil.
Fabius is the foreign minister’s eldest son. He was three when his father, a leading Socialist, was named prime minister in 1984.
In the past, Fabius has launched various business ventures, as well having as a short spell as a TV presenter reporting on celebrities. He has often been photographed at parties and has spent millions of dollars in casinos in the past, referring to himself as a “roulette champion”.
In 2009, when one of his business ventures to sell chip and pin cards in Africa failed, a business partner launched legal procedings against him. He pleaded guilty to embezzling funds and was fined €15,000.
Fabius’s police questioning over the funds for his apartment came as the French parliament gave a standing ovation to his father for his part in negotiating the climate deal agreed in Paris by 196 countries.
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