February 06, (THEWILL) – The French judiciary has launched an investigation into the remuneration of Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Olympics organising committee. Estanguet, a former Olympic canoeing champion, is being probed over the terms of his pay package for organising the Games, set to be held in the French capital from July.
The investigation was opened by France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) and assigned to the judicial police “last week”, less than six months before the Olympics. The sports ministry declined to confirm or deny the probe into Estanguet’s salary. The organising committee expressed surprise, stating the president’s pay is “very strictly regulated”.
Estanguet was set to receive a €270,000 annual salary. However, as a public body in France, the committee is subject to restrictions on remuneration for top officials. Reports suggest Estanguet registered a private company to provide “non-commercial services” and invoice payments beyond his official salary.
This has raised accountability questions over the “reality and quality” of services supplied. The committee maintains Estanguet’s original pay package was validated independently in 2018. Earlier audits identified integrity risks in the Games’ organisation, with specific concern about Estanguet’s unusual corporate setup.
The case is one of four investigations opened into suspected financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest in the awarding of Paris 2024 Olympic contracts. This latest probe centres on the Olympic chief’s pay deal less than six months before the opening ceremonies.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
