A setback for Paris 2024. The Paris Court of Appeal condemned the organizing committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, by a decision of October 31, for null and void dismissal of one of its former employees, Sébastien Chesbeuf, former head of institutional relations. The court considered that there had been " violation of freedom of expression» from the COJO against the complainant. Reminder of the facts. Hired in April 2018, Sébastien Chesbeuf was notified of his dismissal on February 5, 2020. He is accused of "his reports concerning managerial dysfunctions within COJOP, the risks of budget overruns, governance problems and the lack of transparency of the Paris 2024 management with the public authorities.". In short, Sébastien Chesbeuf talks too much. A serious fault in the eyes of a COJO very careful to control its communication. In May 2020, he decided to refer the matter to the industrial tribunal for null dismissal, obtaining the condemnation of Paris 2024 for dismissal " abusive" and " without real and serious cause", but his request for null dismissal was dismissed. The case could have ended there, Sébastien Chesbeuf having obtained financial compensation. But the former employee of the COJO chose to continue the procedure. He appealed the judgment of the industrial tribunal to have the link between his dismissal and his alerts concerning the dysfunctions within Paris 2024 recognized. Bingo. The Paris Court of Appeal has just ruled in his favor. In its decision of October 31, it ruled that the dismissal of Sébastien Chesbeuf was null and void for violation of a fundamental freedom, the employee's freedom of expression. The court accuses the COJO of "of having tried to silence Sébastien Chesbeuf by dismissing him for having made his alerts public and having directly communicated them to a member of the IOC, Pierre-Olivier Beckers. » The Belgian chaired the coordination commission for the Paris 2024 Games.
