French budget minister faces tax fraud probe

PARIS (Reuters) - French prosecutors will open a preliminary investigation into Budget Minister Jerome Cahuzac over allegations that he had a secret bank account in Switzerland, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.

Cahuzac, who is leading a government crackdown on tax evasion, has vigorously denied a report by French investigative news website Mediapart that he held an undisclosed account at Swiss bank UBS until the start of 2010.