PARIS -Russian tycoon Alexey Kuzmichev, has been detained for questioning in France in connection with alleged tax evasion and money laundering and for violating international sanctions, the French Financial Prosecutors’ office said on Tuesday.

Searches took place on Monday at Kuzmichev's Paris home and in the Mediterranean Var region as part of the investigation, the office said, confirming a report in French daily Le Monde.

Kuzmichev was still being detained on Tuesday but has not yet been charged in the case.

Kuzmichev's lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment.

French customs agents last year seized the oligarch's 27-metre yacht "La Petite Ourse", as part of sanctions by the European Union for his ties to President Vladimir Putin. The move sparked a legal battle between authorities and Kuzmichev, one of the main shareholders of Russia's Alfa Bank. REUTERS