Macron's chief of staff faces corruption probe

French financial prosecutor's office has opened a corruption investigation against President Emmanuel Macron's chief of staff.

"The financial prosecutor has opened an investigation to verify whether the rules relating to the private-sector activities of public officials have been respected," the financial prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The probe came after anti-graft group Anticor had filed a complaint accusing Kohler of influence-peddling and breaking conflict of interest rules based on his family links to the Italian owners of MSC while he was working for the French state holdings agency and later as a senior official in the Finance Ministry between 2012-2014 and 2014-2016.

Kohler left office in 2016 when Macron stepped down as economy minister and took a position on MSC's board in Geneva before joining Macron following his election as president.

The Elysee Palace dismissed the allegations as "completely unfounded" and defended Kohler saying he had not acted unlawfully and would cooperate with the investigation.

"Alexis Kohler will willingly send to prosecutors all of the documents that prove his respect of the law during his professional life," the presidency said in a statement.