{"id":24838,"date":"2023-03-28T12:02:24","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T19:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coinnetworknews.com\/french-authorities-raid-5-major-banks-over-accusations-of-money-laundering-and-fiscal-fraud-finance-bitcoin-news\/"},"modified":"2023-03-28T12:02:24","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T19:02:24","slug":"french-authorities-raid-5-major-banks-over-accusations-of-money-laundering-and-fiscal-fraud-finance-bitcoin-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coinnetworknews.com\/french-authorities-raid-5-major-banks-over-accusations-of-money-laundering-and-fiscal-fraud-finance-bitcoin-news\/","title":{"rendered":"French Authorities Raid 5 Major Banks Over Accusations of Money Laundering and Fiscal Fraud \u2013 Finance Bitcoin News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On Tuesday, French officials conducted raids on five major banks located in and around Paris, including Societe Generale, BNP Paribas, HSBC, Natixis, and BNP\u2019s Exane Bank, over alleged charges of money laundering and fiscal fraud. According to a spokesperson for France\u2019s Financial Prosecutor\u2019s Office (PNF), the preliminary investigation into four French banks and one international bank began at the end of 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cum-Ex Scheme at the Center of the Investigation; Societe Generale Confirms Involvement in the Raids<\/h2>\n

Amid the banking crisis<\/a> plaguing the industry in the United States and abroad, French enforcement authorities on Tuesday raided the offices<\/a> of several major banks, including HSBC, Societe Generale, BNP Paribas, Natixis, and Exane. The PNF prosecution office noted that the raids were based on suspicion of money laundering and fiscal fraud.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ongoing operations, which have required several months of preparation, are being carried out by 16 investigating judges and over 150 investigative agents,\u201d the PNF said in a statement. The raids are tied to an alleged dividend arbitrage scheme known as \u201ccum-cum\u201d or \u201ccum-ex\u201d practices. The practice involves splitting dividends temporarily in order to avoid dividend taxes.<\/p>\n

Reportedly, the practice is leveraged by the banks\u2019 wealthy clients to avoid taxation on dividend accounts. The PNF also disclosed that six German prosecutors were involved in the case. The PNF and collaborating prosecutors believe that the alleged fraud has cost governments $108 billion. According to a report<\/a> by CNBC, Societe Generale was the only financial institution to confirm the office raids. A spokesperson for Societe Generale told<\/a> The Telegraph that the bank is \u201cpart of the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n