French investigators searched the headquarters of Paris Olympic organisers on Tuesday in a probe into suspected corruption, according to the national financial prosecutor’s office.
The Paris organising committee said in a statement a search was under way at their headquarters in the suburb of Saint-Denis, and “Paris 2024 is co-operating with the investigators to facilitate their investigations.”
They would not comment further.
An official with the financial prosecutor’s office said the searches were linked to two preliminary investigations related to the Paris Olympics that had not previously been made public.
The official was not authorised 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 favouritism, and concerns about an unspecified contract reached by Paris organisers, 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 favouritism involving several contracts reached by the organising committee and Solideo, the company in charge of Olympic facilities.
The Paris Olympics are scheduled for July 26-August 11, 2024.
