The organizing committee for the 2024 Olympic Games and the event agencies responsible for the opening ceremonies in the summer of 2024 were searched on Wednesday as part of a new investigation carried out by the national financial prosecutor’s office, AFP learned on Thursday from sources close to the case. According to these sources, Cojo and the companies Double 2, Ubibene, Obo and Paname 24 were searched by Oclciff financial investigators, information confirmed by a judicial source to AFP.
This latter source also confirmed that “these operations take place as part of a preliminary investigation led by the PNF into charges of illegal taking of interest, favoritism and concealment concerning several markets linked to the 2024 Olympics, opened after the searches of June 20 2023”, date on which several sites, including the organizing committee, had already been searched as part of other investigations opened by the PNF. “Paris 2024 confirms that the PNF presented itself at its headquarters on Wednesday October 18, and obtained all the information it requested. Paris 2024 is fully collaborating with the investigation as it has always done,” Cojo confirmed for its part regarding Wednesday’s search.
The search at the headquarters of Paname 24 is particularly significant: as it presents itself, this company associates “five of the largest French event production agencies”, including Ubi Bene, Obo and Double 2, and has as its object executive production of the opening ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, scheduled for July 26 and August 28. With this new investigation, the PNF is therefore responsible for at least three procedures concerning contracts awarded for the organization of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Two first investigations relate to suspicions of favoritism and misappropriation of public funds during the award of contracts by the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee (Cojo) and Solideo, the establishment responsible for the construction of the Olympic works for 2024 The investigators are interested in around twenty potentially contentious contracts, according to a source close to the investigation.