A French finance ministry employee faces formal investigation for alleged espionage on behalf of Algeria, Paris prosecutors announced Thursday.
The probe coincides with escalating political tensions between France and its former colony.
The employee is suspected of providing sensitive data on Algerian asylum seekers, including regime opponents, to an Algerian consulate contact in Créteil.
The investigation, initiated in December, centers on the alleged transmission of confidential information.
Formal investigation in France indicates serious evidence, but does not equate to guilt.
The Créteil consulate has yet to respond to requests for comment. The French finance ministry and the Algerian Embassy in Paris have also declined to comment.
A social worker from the French Office for Immigration and Integration is also under formal investigation in the same probe.
She is accused of sharing asylum seekers’ private details and violating professional secrecy. The immigration office refrained from commenting on the active investigation.
Franco-Algerian relations have soured recently, exacerbated by French President Macron’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
This decision has fueled anger in Algiers.
France has subsequently threatened to revise immigration agreements with Algeria, demanding the return of individuals slated for deportation, further straining diplomatic ties.