A French taxi driver who was accused of having stolen money and luggage from a senior British government minister was acquitted on Monday due to lack of evidence, a prosecutor said.

The 40-year-old driver, who was based in the southeastern city of Avignon, drove David Lammy and his wife more than 600 kilometres (370 miles) from Forli in northern Italy to the ski resort of Flaine in the French Alps on April 11.

But at the end of the journey, the “tone escalated” over how much the trip cost, Bonneville prosecutor Boris Duffau said in May.

The driver then left with his passengers’ bags in the boot of his car.

“He dropped them off the next day at a municipal police station” but that was considered theft due to the length of time he had them in his possession, the magistrate said.

The driv

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