French anti-corruption police concerned about potential embezzlement of public funds, raided the 2024 Paris Olympic headquarters on Tuesday. Thursday, a marketing and consultancy firm linked to Olympic construction projects was also raided. The second day of raids were conducted by investigators from the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF).
The Paris organising committee indicated in a media release that the search was carried out at its headquarters in the suburb of Saint-Denis. The organisation was fully cooperating with investigators. The organising committee defended what it refers to as “stringent procedures” to do with several hundred contracts awarded for the Games.
The first search was underway at the headquarters of the Games organisers (COJOP) and of SOLIDEO, the public body responsible for building projects linked to the event.
Meanwhile, Étienne Thobois, the head of the marketing company he founded and link to Paris 2024 was searched today.
After the first raid was complete (at more than one location), the second raid happened less than 48 hours later. Solideo is the company responsible for the construction of Olympic sites, and was targeted by the PNF.
The search began Thursday morning and ended early afternoon, according to news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The investigation of contracts for the Games construction was opened in 2017 by the PNF and entrusted to the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Tax Offenses.
This investigation concerns a series of contracts awarded by the Paris 2024 Organising Committee and the Bid Committee..
