French general secretary of the presidency Alexis Kohler arrives for a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June 5, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

PARIS (Reuters) - Investigators were carrying out searches at the French finance ministry on Wednesday as part of a probe into President Emmanuel Macron’s chief of staff, two sources at the ministry said.

France’s financial prosecutor opened an inquiry on Monday into allegations that Alexis Kohler breached conflict of interest rules while working for the state and the Swiss-Italian Mediterranean Shipping Company.

The Elysee Palace has said Kohler had not acted unlawfully and would cooperate with the investigation.