FILE PHOTO: The logo of BNP Paribas bank is pictured on an office building in Nantes, France, July 21, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe PARIS (Reuters) - French judicial investigators have opened a full-scale inquiry into allegations of complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, an official at the public prosecutor’s office said on Monday. BNP Paribas bank, accused by non-governmental organisations of complicity over a transfer of $1.3 million (961,182.99 pounds) to an arms dealer, said the move was expected and not a surprise. “This in no way constitutes a new development,” a BNP spokeswoman said. The full-scale inquiry follows a preliminary investigation that began earlier this year, when three non-government organisations filed a complaint on the matter. In France, the opening of a full-scale inquiry does not imply guilt and does not automatically lead to a trial. It does imply that investigators believe the complaint or information gleaned during initial inquiries merits further investigation. Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry; Writing by Brian Love
BNP Paribas is facing an inquiry by French investigators into allegations that the banking group was involved in the Rwandan genocide in 1994, according to an announcement by the public prosecutor’s office on Monday. The bank has been accused by NGOs of facilitating the transfer of $1.3m to an arms dealer. The investigation comes after the commencement of a preliminary investigation earlier in the year. Under French law, such an inquiry neither implies guilt or guarantees a trial. “This in no way constitutes a new development”, said a spokeswoman for the bank.