June 20, (THEWILL) – On Tuesday, police searched the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics Organising Committee and its infrastructure partner as part of investigations into alleged embezzlement of public funds and favouritism.
The national financial prosecutor’s office (PNF) said the Paris 2024 headquarters were raided amid a preliminary investigation launched in 2017 into contracts made by the Summer Games’ organising committee. The headquarters of SOLIDEO, the public body responsible for delivering Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure, were also being searched amid a preliminary investigation dating back to 2022.
A Paris 2024 spokesperson said that they are actively cooperating with investigators to facilitate their enquiries and provide answers to all the questions raised as quickly as possible. They also stated that Paris 2024 has adopted stringent procedures to ensure the transparency and propriety of the several hundred contracts it has awarded. An ethics committee and an audit committee have been set up to supervise its activities.
The spokesperson added that the audit conducted by the French Anti-Corruption Agency and five audits by the Cour des Comptes (Court of Auditors), in addition to the continued monitoring of their governance structures, have not raised any wrongdoing. The searches coincided with the start of a two-day International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board on Tuesday, to discuss a number of issues, including the progress of the Paris 2024 Games preparations.
An IOC spokesperson said that they are aware that there has been a search by police of the Paris 2024 headquarters today and that they have been informed by Paris 2024 that they are cooperating fully with the authorities in this matter.
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.
