French automaker Renault has formally accused a foreign private company of industrial espionage, setting in motion for a judicial investigation.
Jean-Claude Marin, the Paris prosecutor who will consider Renault's allegations, said: "They don't cite a foreign power, they only cite private persons."
Renault said in its filing it was a victim of corruption, theft and concealment and had discovered serious misconduct detrimental to its "strategic, technological and intellectual assets" in its filing late on Thursday.
Renault did not name any perpetrators or a company.
Last week Renault suspended three executives on suspicion they had leaked information about its high-profile electric car technology in a case the French government has dubbed "economic warfare" and which has prompted a move to tighten laws to protect companies.
The carmaker's formal complaint puts the matter into the hands of the French judiciary and could lead to an investigation by France's DCRI domestic intelligence agency.
The espionage scandal threatened to harm improving relations between France and China, after a government source last week said intelligence services were looking into a possible connection to China.
The French government has since played down the possibility of a link to China, saying it is not accusing any one country of involvement, while China has denied any link to the case.
"I can tell you that many nationalities have been mentioned in this dossier," said Renault's lawyer Jean Reinhart, noting that the complaint did not cite foreign countries.
The prosecutor can either open a preliminary investigation that he oversees, or open a judicial inquiry that would be entrusted to an independent magistrate.
Passing the inquiry over to an independent magistrate would legally allow for a more forceful investigation as well as an overseas investigation, but this method has been used less and less in recent years for cost reasons.
