searches are underway in several Games organization sites

Searches are underway at the headquarters of the organizing committee (Cojo) of the 2024 Games, in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), and of Solideo, the public establishment in charge of site construction for the Games, reports Tuesday, June 20 the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office. The COJO “cooperates fully with the investigators to facilitate their investigations”added the instance.

“Illegal taking of interests” and “embezzlement of public funds”

According to information from France Télévisions, the searches are being carried out as part of two preliminary investigations opened by the national financial prosecutor’s office. One of them was opened in 2017 and entrusted to the OCLCIFF (Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Tax Offences) for “illegal taking of interests”, “embezzlement of public funds”, ” favoritism and concealment of favouritism” concerning a contract entered into by the Cojo.

The other investigation was entrusted to the BRDE, financial brigade of the Parisian judicial police, for “illegal taking of interests”, “favoritism and concealment of favouritism” relating to several contracts awarded by the Cojo and the Solidero, following control by the French Anti-Corruption Agency.

In April 2021, two reports from the French anti-corruption agency (AFA) on the organization of the Olympics pointed to “risks of breaches of probity” and of “conflicts of interest”scratching the image of the Olympics “exemplary” wanted by the boss of the Organizing Committee Tony Estanguet. The AFA inspectors considered that the general procedure relating to purchases is “imprecise and incomplete”, and underlined that there are “sometimes situations of potential conflicts of interest not controlled”.