Paris Olympic headquarters searched as part of corruption investigations

PARIS, June 20 (Reuters) – The headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics organising committee and those of its infrastructure partner were being searched by police on Tuesday as part of investigations into alleged embezzlement of public funds and favouritism, prosecutors said.

The national financial prosecutor’s office (PNF) said the Paris 2024 headquarters were raided amid a preliminary investigation launched in 2017 into contracts made by the Summer Games’ organising committee.

The headquarters of SOLIDEO, the public body responsible for delivering Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure, were also being searched amid a preliminary investigation dating back to 2022, following an audit by the French Anti-Corruption Agency, the PNF added.

“A police search was carried out at the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee on Tuesday 20 June,” Paris 2024 said in a statement.

“We are cooperating fully with the investigators to facilitate their investigations. The investigation should be allowed to run its course. We remain fully focused on the organisation and the delivery of the Games.”