Tax fraud investigators search Netflix offices in Paris and Amsterdam: source

INVESTIGATORS searched the offices of US streaming giant Netflix in France and the Netherlands as part of a preliminary investigation into tax fraud laundering, a French judicial source said on Tuesday (Nov 5).

French paper Marianne, which first reported the searches, said investigators specialising in financial crime and corruption raided the company’s offices in central Paris on Tuesday morning.

The French investigation, carried out by the PNF, a special financial crime prosecution unit notorious for pursuing high-stakes white-collar probes that often involve large international companies, was opened in November 2022.

Dutch authorities were simultaneously searching the company’s European headquarters in Amsterdam, the French judicial source said.

Representatives for Netflix in France did not immediately respond to Reuters phone calls and e-mailed requests for comment. Representatives in the Netherlands could not immediately be reached for comment.

The office of the Dutch prosecutor for financial crime declined to comment and referred questions to the PNF.

“Cooperation between the French and Dutch authorities has been underway for many months as part of these proceedings,” the French source said.

A preliminary investigation in France does not imply criminal charges and does not necessarily lead to a trial.

The facts which led to the investigation were not immediately clear.

Large tech companies offering their online services and subscriptions across borders often run into difficulties with European tax authorities.

In 2022, Netflix had agreed to settle a tax dispute with Italy by paying 55.8 million euros (S$80 million).

Netflix said on its website it opened its Paris bureau, located just around the corner from the Opera Garnier, in 2020 when it employed around 40 staff.

The company produces most of its original films and series, including the global blockbuster Emily in Paris by working with third-party contractors. REUTERS