The Vatican’s envoy to France is under investigation for sexual assault after being accused of molesting an official at the Paris mayor’s office.

The envoy, 74-year-old Luigi Ventura, has been based in Paris since 2009 and serves as a diplomat for Pope Francis.

He was accused of molesting a man at the Paris city hall on 17 January when the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, gave a new year’s address to diplomats, religious leaders and civil society figures.

“During the ceremony, a city employee was repeatedly groped on the backside, in three instances, once in front of a witness,” a judicial source said.

The complaint was filed by the city hall on 24 January which led to an investigation being opened the day after. Patrick Klugman, deputy mayor responsible for international relations, said it had been quickly decided to report the matter to the public prosecutor.

Italian-born Ventura is a career diplomat at the Vatican.

He previously served in Brazil, Bolivia, and Britain, before being appointed papal nuncio to the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger, Chile and then Canada, according to his website.

France’s Catholic Church has been roiled in recent years by sexual claims against priests which have come to light in the wake of a global move by victims of abuse to come forward with evidence.