PARIS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - A financial transaction under investigation in France involving LVMH owner Bernard Arnault was carried out in full respect of the law, his lawyer said on Saturday.
The Paris public prosecutor's office confirmed on Friday that it is investigating financial transactions involving Arnault and Russian businessman Nikolai Sarkisov.
In France, a prelimary investigation does not necessarily imply wrongdoing by those concerned, for whom the presumption of innocence applies.
An unidentified Tracfin official told Le Monde the transactions involving Arnault and Sarkisov, who both acted through a complex web of legal entities, could have been aimed at concealing the origins of the funds used.
Reporting by Mimosa Spencer; writing by Leigh Thomas; editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Bernard Arnault, Nikolai Sarkisov, Sarkisov, Cheval, Jacqueline Laffont, Le, Mimosa Spencer, Leigh Thomas, Christina Fincher
Organizations:
Reuters, Le Monde, Thomson
Locations:
France, Paris, Russian, Le, Cheval Blanc, Courcheval