Searches began in the Parisian office of Google

The Google office in Paris is taking searches, AFP reports citing a source in the police. According to the agency, searches are related to the investigation of the case of tax failure.

According to Le Parisien, searches at the headquarters of the American corporation are going on from five in the morning on May 24. According to the publication, they were “strictly classified”, the financial prosecutor's office of France did not notify the searches in order to avoid leaks. The representative of Google is not yet available for comments, adds Reuters .

In February, it became known that the French authorities presented tax claims for Google in the amount of € 1.6 billion ($ 1.79 billion). The American corporation is accused of aggressive tax optimization.

On May 23, France also began an investigation against Google regarding online advertising. The antimonopoly department will check whether the company occupies the dominant position in this market. Paris began a similar investigation against Facebook.

Google, like some other international corporations, conducts its financial transactions through countries with a mild tax regime, for example, through Ireland or Luxembourg - in these states, companies in particular register profit.

The authorities of several European states and the European Commission accuse Google of the desire to pay less taxes directly in the country where the company is conducting its business. There are tax claims to the Internet giant, including from Italy and the UK .