(Ecofin Agency) - In the framework of a legal investigation involving Spanish firm Pefaco, headquarters of French group Bolloré in Puteaux were searched on April 8, 2016.

Pefaco, whose headquarters are in Barcelona, has assets in games, casino and hospitality, and is present in many African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Togo).

French investigators linked the company to jean-Philippe Dorent, one of the directors of the communication firm Havas in which Bolloré detains a 60% stake. Olivier Baratelli, the lawyer of Bolloré, interviewed by Reuters however declared that the “Bolloré group has no ties with Pefaco”.

According to newspaper Le Monde, the police is investigating to find out if Havas, which took part in Alpha Condé’s and Faure Gnasingbé’s electoral campaigns in Guinea and Togo respectively, was not used to easily get concessions for the Conakry and Lomé ports. “Regarding the port activities, the Bolloré group recalls that they are significant investments, involving other major international firms,” the Bolloré said in a statement cited by Reuters.