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Tony Estanguet at a press conference in December
Photo: Bertrand Guay / AFP
French Olympic chief Tony Estanguet has come under the radar of the French justice system because of his annual salary of 270,000 euros. The financial prosecutor's office has begun investigations against the president of the organizing committee of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the AFP news agency learned from judicial circles on Tuesday.
The Reuters news agency also reported that an investigation had been launched into Estanguet's salary. The committee was “surprised” by the process, but was ready to answer the investigators’ questions.
As the AFP reported, Estanguet earned 270,000 euros gross annually by 2020. However, this would contradict the salary cap for charities. "We would like to remind you that the remuneration of the president of the organizing committee is subject to a strict framework," the organizers said in a statement.
"I'm not worried, we knew this number from the beginning and nothing was hidden," Paris deputy mayor for sport Pierre Rabadan told Reuters. It is not known how much salary Estanguet, three-time Olympic champion in canoe slalom, currently receives.
Two raids last year
The public prosecutor responsible for financial crime had already initiated investigations against the Paris organizing committee in 2017. In June 2023, French police searched the organizers' premises. According to prosecutors, this involved possible embezzlement of public funds, nepotism and concerns about an unspecified contract that the Paris organizers are said to have concluded. There was another raid last October.
The Summer Olympics will take place from July 26th to August 11th in the greater Paris area. For the opening ceremony, the athletes will travel down the Seine on boats. Some swimming competitions will also be held in the Seine. The organizers expect more than 15 million visitors, around 15 percent of them from abroad.
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