French and Belgian prosecutors have seized €65mn from McKinsey as part of a long-running inquiry into alleged tax fraud involving the US consultancy. The seizure is provisional, meaning the funds are frozen and may go to pay a potential future fine, an official at the French prosecutor's office said. The office of France's financial prosecutor said on Friday it had worked with counterparts in Brussels to recover the sum from McKinsey in late August.

The probe dates back to 2022 when McKinsey's business in France came under scrutiny during the presidential election campaign, before Emmanuel Macron was re-elected. The French Senate led an inquiry into the government's use of consultancies, highlighting a big increase in spending on firms including McKinsey, which advised on its Covid-19 vaccine rollout, technology projects and education. The Senate accused McKinsey of not paying corporate tax in France for 10 years. Police raided McKinsey's Paris offices in May 2022, and suspects and witnesses were interviewed in 2025 and 2026.

McKinsey said the seizure was "a procedural measure connected with a preliminary investigation" and did not constitute a conviction, adding: "We continue to co-operate with the French authorities and to deny any wrongdoing."