A complex web of companies, front men, undeclared and undocumented workers and a main contractor claiming to have seen nothing all allegedly converged in the construction of an Olympic Village, where athletes from around the world gathered for one of the biggest international sporting events in summer 2024.
While the Paris Olympic Games are now just a memory, a trial concerning such dealings opened at the courthouse in Bobigny, near the French capital, on Monday, February 2. It is scheduled to run until February 20. During the proceedings, 21 individuals and three companies will be tried, notably for carrying out undeclared work, employing undocumented foreign nationals as part of an organized group or hiring companies that did so.
This is the case for GCC, which describes itself on its website as one of the “top 10 companies in the construction industry.” The group was assigned to build six buildings in the Olympic Village. Authorities accuse GCC of failing in its duty of vigilance by subcontracting several million euros’ worth of work to companies that concealed a significant portion of their workforce, many of whose members did not have valid residency permits. In addition to GCC as a legal entity, a company branch manager, site manager and works manager also face charges. Contacted for a previous article on the subject in December 2022, GCC told Le Monde that the situation had occurred “without [its] knowledge.”
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