Belgian authorities seize €65 million in French McKinsey tax investigation

Belgian and French judicial authorities have seized 65,244,757.07 euros from consulting firm McKinsey & Company as part of an investigation into suspected aggravated tax fraud and money laundering. The freeze was executed on 19 August 2026 by the Directorate of International and European Affairs of the Brussels prosecutor's office following a request for mutual legal assistance from France's Parquet National Financier (PNF). French National Financial Prosecutor Pascal Prache and King's Prosecutor in Brussels Julien Moinil announced the measure in a joint statement on 4 September 2026. The authorities stated that the seized funds account for 96% of the estimated fiscal damage to the French state.

Origins of the tax investigation

The criminal proceedings date back to March 2022, following a French Senate inquiry commission that examined the growing influence of private consulting firms on public policy since 2017. The inquiry focused on a fiscal arrangement by McKinsey's French entities that allegedly allowed the firm to pay zero corporate income tax in France between 2011 and 2020. French investigators at the Service d'Enquête Judiciaire des Finances (SEJF), later reorganized into the Office National Anti-Fraude (ONAF), conducted initial searches at the Paris offices of McKinsey & Company Inc. France in May 2022.

The case progressed through 2025 and 2026 with formal hearings of witnesses and suspects. Following these steps, the PNF requested cross-border assistance from Belgian prosecutors to freeze company assets. Prosecutors from both countries noted that the operation reflects the need for a global judicial strategy to trace, freeze, seize, and confiscate assets during complex financial investigations.

McKinsey response and legal position

McKinsey characterized the asset seizure as a standard procedural step within an active preliminary probe rather than a conclusive determination of liability.

We continue to cooperate with the French authorities and contest any wrongdoing on our part. We reaffirm our commitment to fulfill our tax obligations in France and in all countries where we operate.

In statements delivered to Agence France-Presse, the company stressed that the precautionary freeze does not represent a final judicial ruling. The preliminary investigation managed by ONAF remains ongoing as prosecutors determine whether to refer the matter to trial.

Separation from campaign finance inquiries

French judicial officials clarified that the 65 million euro asset seizure is strictly confined to the preliminary corporate tax evasion case and does not extend to parallel inquiries involving political campaigns. French magistrates are conducting separate judicial investigations into campaign account irregularities and alleged favoritism related to consulting work performed during Emmanuel Macron's 2017 and 2022 presidential campaigns, as well as political activities across 2015 and 2016.

Those separate investigations have prompted searches at the private residences of current and former McKinsey executives, the consulting firm's Paris headquarters, and the French Ministry of Health. Investigators in the campaign finance cases also searched the offices of Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party and its campaign financing association. The PNF emphasized that the tax recovery action remains distinct from the electoral campaign inquiries.