France Probing Corruption Tied to Billionaire Drahi’s Altice

French prosecutors have opened their own preliminary probe into potential corruption linked to telecom group Altice,just months after the detainment of co-founder Armando Pereira and other business associates in Portugal, people familiar with the investigation said.

France’s Parquet National Financier is looking into suspicions of corruption of individuals who don’t hold public office, money laundering and attempts to conceal these offenses, according to one of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The investigation was opened in September, the person said.

The early probe shows scrutiny is spreading across the telecommunications group controlled by billionaire Patrick Drahi. ...