French President Emmanuel Macron's chief of staff Alexis Kohler has been indicted by France's national financial crimes prosecutor over a conflict of interest related to his alleged links with Italian shipping company MSC, the prosecutor's office said on Monday. 

"(...) the office confirms the indictment of Alexis Kohler, currently the Secretary-General of the French presidency, for unlawful taking of interest," the office said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for the French Court of Cassation said that Eric Dupond-Moretti, the French justice minister, would also be tried before a special judicial body competent for government wrongdoings on suspicion of "having taken advantage illegally" in two potential conflicts of interest cases.

Dupond-Moretti, one of France's most famous criminal lawyers before President Emmanuel Macron made him the justice minister, is accused of using government prerogatives to act against personal rivals inside the judicial branch, which he denied.

(Cover: French general secretary of the presidency Alexis Kohler arrives at the Elysee Palace to attend the first weekly cabinet meeting of the year in Paris, France, January 3, 2018. /Reuters)