The French prosecutor’s office, acting on a complaint from presidential contender Emmanuel Macron, opened an investigation on suspicion that fake news was circulated with the aim of influencing voting in the election, a judicial source said.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr. Macron lodged a legal complaint with the prosecutor’s office over allegations, referred to by his rival Marine Le Pen in a televised debate on Wednesday night, that he held an offshore account.

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Mr. Macron has denied that he holds any such account.