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. -AP