searches within several sites in charge of the organization of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Searches took place 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 asserts “collaborate[r] fully with the investigators to facilitate their investigations”.

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.

Two reports from 2021 pointed to risks of abuse

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

In April 2021, two AFA reports 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 procurement procedure is “imprecise and incomplete”and point out that there is “sometimes situations of potential conflicts of interest not controlled”.

THE International Olympic Committee told AFP that it had been “acquainted” of these searches by the Cojo. He assured their “collaboration” with the authorities, without further details.