"The Chained Duck" revealed that four former senior McDonald's executives were taken into custody Wednesday as part of a preliminary investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office.
This custody follows suspicions of tax evasion on the part of these former leaders.
Hundreds of millions of euros could be recovered.
Four former senior McDonald's executives were taken into police custody on Wednesday as part of a preliminary investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office for suspicion of tax evasion, a source familiar with the matter has learned.
This police custody, which takes place in the premises of the Office dedicated to the fight against financial and fiscal offenses (OCLCIFF), was announced by
Le
Canard Enchaîné
in its Wednesday edition.
An agreement between the parent company of McDonald's and its French subsidiary has aroused suspicion
According to the satirical weekly, which was confirmed to AFP from a source familiar with the matter, the officials concerned are Denis Hennequin, CEO in 2009 of McDonald's Europe, Jean-Pierre Petit, CEO of the brand in France and Europe in the South, as well as the CFO for France and the Vice-CEO for France and Europe.
It was the conclusion of an agreement in 2009 between the parent company of McDonald's and its French subsidiary that aroused suspicion.
This agreement provided that part of the profits earned by the French subsidiary would be returned to the United States, thus escaping tax.
According to
the Chained Duck
, the French tax authorities hope to recover "from 300 to 600 million euros, or even a billion".