Former IAAF president Lamine Diack has been questioned by French police investigating allegations of corruption involving a cover-up of doping by Russian athletes.

Officers visited the headquarters of international athletics in Monaco on Tuesday and took documents, a statement from the IAAF confirmed.

It is understood IAAF president Sebastian Coe, who took over from Diack in August, spoke to the investigators. Diack, his adviser Habib Cisse and anti-doping director Gabriel Dolle have all been formally interviewed, sources with knowledge of the investigation have confirmed.

An IAAF statement said: "The IAAF confirms that, emanating from separate ongoing investigations by WADA's independent commission and the IAAF's own independent ethics commission into allegations surrounding its anti-doping rules and regulations, a French police investigation has now commenced.

"The IAAF is fully cooperating with all investigations as it has been from the beginning of the process.

"As part of the French investigation, police visited the IAAF HQ offices (on Tuesday) to carry out interviews and to access documentation."

The scandal broke in late 2014 when German broadcaster ARD alleged a number of positive dope tests involving Russian athletes were covered up by IAAF officials. .The Russian Athletics Federation (RAF) said the allegations were "lies".