French financial prosecutor drops probe into top Macron official Kohler

The office of France's financial prosecutor on Thursday dropped a probe into Alexis Kohler, President Emmanuel Macron's top official at the Elysee palace, saying it found no evidence of wrongdoing in an investigation into conflict of interest. The prosecutor was investigating whether Kohler breached conflict of interest rules while working for the state given his personal ties with the Swiss-Italian Mediterranean Shipping Company.

Investigative journalism website Mediapart last year reported Kohler had not properly disclosed his links to MSC while he held a senior position at the French finance ministry during the previous administration. "After a one-year investigation, analysis of evidence collected by anti-corruption police doesn't allow us to confirm the offenses initially suspected," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Macron's office has previously said Kohler at no time hid his family ties to the Aponte family that founded and still owns MSC.