Guard robs his own van of £12m

The driver of a French armoured security van was on the run today after the vehicle was "robbed" of more than £12 million of taxpayers' money.

The unnamed 40 year-year-old, who had complained about being badly paid for more than 10 years in the job, is suspected of stealing everything, in euros, inside the vehicle.

The van belonged to the Swedish company Loomis, which is one of the biggest cash handling firms in the world and has lucrative contracts with Britain's Home Office.

The driver was transporting funds belonging to the Bank of France through Lyon, in the south-east of France, yesterday morning when the GPS and telephone linking the van to a control centre were disabled.

Three of the man's colleagues had left the truck to collect more money, but when they returned it was gone. The vehicle was later found empty about three miles away.

"Police raided his home and found the curtains drawn and the fridge empty. There was no sign of the driver, who could be anywhere. He had also emptied his bank accounts. It looks very much as though this was planned."

Joel Chapuy, of the CFDT money transporters' trade union, said. "There's something bizarre about this. He would have needed someone else to open the safe." Mr Chayuy confirmed that the euro equivalent of about £12 million had gone missing, all of it belonging to France's state bank.

Lyon prosecutor Xavier Richaud said: "Of course suspicions fall on the driver. Everything is being done to find him."

Loomis describes itself as offering "safe and effective solutions for distribution, handling and recycling of cash". It works in 12 European countries and in the US, employing 20,000 people.