Police Raid Paris 2024 Olympic Offices

This morning, police raided the offices of the organising bodies of the Paris Olympics, which are scheduled for next year.

On Tuesday, June 20 the two organisations in charge of the upcoming Paris Olympics were subjected to police investigations as the authorities searched through their offices, located in the French capital, according to L’Equipe.

One of the offices is the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop), in Saint-Denis.

The other organisation is called Solideo, the body responsible for delivering the infrastructures, such as construction and renovations, located in the outskirts of Paris.

It has been confirmed that the searches were carried out by the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Tax Crimes (OCLCIFF), and the Brigade for the Suppression of Economic Crime (BRDE). Both groups act within the framework of two preliminary investigations opened by the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF).

As early as 2017 the Olympic Committee were under investigation regarding the illegal taking of interests, misappropriation of public funds, favouritism and concealment of favouritism relating to a contract awarded by them.

In 2022, a second investigation was opened for illegal taking of interest, favouritism and the use of favouritism in connection with several contracts awarded by Cojop and Solideo, following an inspection by the French Anti-Corruption Agency (AFA).

Alarm bells sounded in 2021 when the French Anti-Corruption Agency (AFA) filed reports which highlighted: ‘risks of breaches of probity’ and ‘conflicts of interest.’ The findings were in blatant conflict with the ‘exemplary’ standards expected by the head of the Organising Committee, Tony Estanguet.

AFA inspectors found that the general purchasing procedure was ‘imprecise and incomplete,’ and pointed out that there were ‘sometimes situations of potential uncontrolled conflicts of interest.’

It has been revealed that the Court of Auditors will continue to closely monitor Cojop’s activities and is due to publish a report shortly.

Meanwhile, both parties under investigation have reiterated their willingness to comply with the inquiry with Solideo making the statement that it was ‘cooperating fully with the investigators and has submitted all the files requested.’