Google's offices in Paris have been raided by police in an investigation into money laundering and "aggravated tax fraud".
The dawn raid, which involved around 100 investigators, is part of a probe into whether the internet giant has evaded corporation tax in France by diverting profits to its European base in Ireland.
French authorities believe that Google owes some €1.6 billion (NZ$2.6 billion) in corporation tax and VAT. The raid comes months after the company agreed to pay £130 million (NZ$215 million) in back taxes to the UK Government and amid growing scrutiny of the tax affairs of Silicon Valley's multinationals.
![A police car outside the Paris offices of US Internet giant Google. Photo / Getty Images](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/IVDUMWS3M46PYPRPATD4DY3ZAI.jpg?auth=0f7bfe0dbc81e7e73cf7d0f7cadfa8df0a32cd8cf732ec454d110e023524ce27&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Google, like many major tech groups, bases its European operations in Ireland, where corporation taxes are lower than much of Europe, and registers sales from many other countries there.