Congolese rapper, Gims, arrested in Paris over alleged money laundering

Congolese rapper, Gims, was arrested on his arrival in Paris on Wednesday as part of an investigation into money laundering.

Africa Intelligence is reporting that the singer, whose real name is Gandhi Djuna, was taken into custody at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport by the National Judicial Customs Service.

It says Paris judges are investigating a complex money laundering network involving multiple shell companies set up in different countries.

These firms were allegedly created to avoid French taxes, have issued fake invoices, laundered money from illegal activities, and concealed the origin of the funds.

Five former drug traffickers from the Paris region, now involved in financial crime, have reportedly already been implicated in the same case.

Africa Intelligence says investigators are particularly examining a large luxury real estate project promoted by Gims in Marrakech.

The Kinshasa-born singer was the biggest-selling recording artist in France last year.