Investigators searched the headquarters of Paris Olympic organizers yesterday in a probe into suspected corruption, according to the national financial prosecutor’s office.
The Paris organizing committee said in a statement that a search was under way at their headquarters in the suburb of Saint-Denis, and that “Paris 2024 is cooperating with the investigators to facilitate their investigations.” It would not comment further.
An official with the financial prosecutor’s office said the searches are linked to two preliminary investigations related to the Paris Olympics that had not previously been made public. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to prosecutor’s office policy.
One of the probes was opened in 2017 into suspected embezzlement of public funds and favoritism, and concerns about an unspecified contract reached by Paris organizers, the prosecutor’s office said.
The other was opened in 2022 following an audit by the French Anti-corruption Agency. The prosecutor’s office said that case targets suspected conflict of interest and favoritism involving several contracts reached by the organizing committee and Solideo, the company in charge of Olympic facilities.
The Paris Olympics are scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11, 2024. MDT/AP
