French budget minister faces tax probe PARIS - French prosecutors will open a preliminary investigation into Jerome Cahuzac, the budget minister, over allegations that he had a secret bank account in Switzerland, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. Mr Cahuzac, who is leading a government campaign against tax evasion, has vigorously denied a report by French investigative news website Mediapart that he held an undisclosed account at UBS, the Swiss bank, until the start of 2010. Mr Cahuzac said on Tuesday he was confident that the investigation would clear him. "Jerome Cahuzac welcomes the Paris prosecutor's decision," his office said in a statement. This step will, as he has always said, show his complete innocence from the absurd allegations that he has been subjected to. The prosecutor's office said it had no option but to open an inquiry immediately given the sensitivity of the allegations and the time it would take to investigate them. "The Paris prosecutor has as a result decided to open a preliminary investigation for tax fraud," it said in a statement. Mediapart followed up on its first report by publishing a recording of a telephone call from 2000 in which a male voice it said belonged to Mr Cahuzac mentions an account he held at UBS. Mr Cahuzac has filed legal complaints against the website and repeated his denial of the allegations on France 2 television on Monday evening. He said the voice in the recording was not his.