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Mrs Bettencourt was questioned as a witness, her lawyer said. Police have questioned France's richest woman, L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, over claims of illegal political donations and tax evasion. Investigators visited the year-old at her home near Paris to ask about Swiss bank accounts and a Seychelles island allegedly used as a tax haven.

Both issues were mentioned in secret recordings made by a former butler. Last week, prosecutors asked to question Labour Minister Eric Woerth over linked claims. On Monday, Mrs Bettencourt's lawyer said she was questioned as a witness for about two hours at her home in the chic Paris suburb of Neuilly.

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George Kiejman said that although he was not present at the questioning, he understood that it focused on Mrs Bettencourt's two Swiss bank accounts, the island in the Seychelles and his client's alleged ties with Mr Woerth. The recorded conversations between Mrs Bettencourt and her financial adviser, which were leaked to the French press, allegedly show that she had sought to use the accounts to escape French taxes.

Mrs Bettencourt earlier admitted tax evasion, promising to put her affairs in order. The recordings are also alleged to suggest Mrs Bettencourt was a generous donor to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential election campaign and to a political association run by his top fundraiser and now labour minister, Eric Woerth, and that those donations exceeded the legal limit.

Mr Kiejman said he understood that Mrs Bettencourt recalled dining with Mr Woerth, but "concerning the financing of political parties, she confirmed it was never a focus of interest for her, but rather for her late husband Andre Bettencourt ".