POITIERS (France) (AFP) - A 38-year-old Briton charged with organised fraud has committed suicide in jail in France, a judicial source said on Thursday.

He hanged himself with a belt in his cell at a prison in the central Poitiers-Vivonne region. His body was found by officials on Wednesday afternoon.

He was arrested on May 14 and charged in connection with a scam involving British nationals and French banks and loans totalling 1.6 million euros (SS$2.6 million). He was charged last Friday.

The man left two suicide notes. The authorities did not disclose the contents of the notes or the man's identity.