Russian lawmaker Kerimov back in France to face tax investigation: prosecutor

NICE, France (Reuters) - Russian businessman and lawmaker Suleiman Kerimov, under investigation for tax fraud in France, returned to the Riviera city of Nice after making a short trip to Russia that was allowed by the French authorities, the Nice prosecutor said on Tuesday.

Kerimov was meeting with Valentina Matvienko, the speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, during his three-day visit to Russia.

"He came back on Monday," prosecutor Jean-Michel Prêtre, told Reuters.

Kerimov is ranked by Forbes magazine as Russia's 21st wealthiest businessman, with a net worth of $6.3 billion. His family controls Russia's largest gold producer Polyus PLZL.MM>.

He was arrested by police at Nice airport in November in connection with a tax evasion case.

(Reporting by Matthias Galante in Nice; Writing by Richard Lough; editing by Sudip-Kar-Gupta)

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