Netflix

Source: Netflix

Netflix

The offices of Netflix in France and the Netherlands have reportedly been searched by investigators as part of a preliminary investigation into tax fraud laundering, according to a report by Reuters citing a French judicial source.

The searches were first reported by French paper Marianne, which said investigators specialising in financial crime and corruption raided the company’s offices in central Paris on Tuesday morning. The probe has also been reported by French daily Le Monde.

At the same time, Dutch authorities began searching the company’s European headquarters in Amsterdam, the French judicial source said.

A preliminary investigation does not imply criminal charges.

The French investigation is being carried out by the PNF, a special financial crime prosecution unit.

Officials from the two countries have been co-operating on the case since the investigation was opened in November 2022.

Last year, French media outlet La Lettre reported that until 2021, Netflix in France allegedly minimised its tax payments by declaring its turnover generated in France to the Netherlands.

A Netflix spokesperson told Screen: “We are co-operating with the authorities in France, where Netflix is a significant contributor to the local economy — and we comply with the tax laws and regulations in all the countries in which we operate.”