French police raid Paris 2024 organizing committee office: Reports

Paris 2024 spokersperson Jonathan Firpo told CNN that a “police search is currently underway at the headquarters of the Organising Committee.”

“Paris 2024 is cooperating fully with the investigators to facilitate their investigations,” Firpo said.

According to an internal email sent to committee employees seen by CNN affiliate BFMTV, French financial police are leading the search.

The raids were tied to two “preliminary investigations” into financial improprieties with contracts and public funds, the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to CNN.

“Several” sites were raided by police, including the Paris 2024 offices and the headquarters of SOLIDEO, the public body responsible for much of the construction and infrastructure around the Paris 2024 games, the financial prosecutor’s office was quoted as saying by CNN.

One of the preliminary investigations was opened in 2017 by a French police anti-corruption unit into “illegal conflict of interests, embezzlement of public funds, favouritism and concealment of favouritism targeting several contracts” awarded by the Paris 2024 committee, the American news channel reported.

Olympics is scheduled to start on July 26, 2024.

The iconic games is scheduled to take place till Aug 11.