EU Parliament Seeks €3.5 Million from Le Pen’s Party After Embezzlement Conviction
The European Parliament is demanding €3.5 million (around $3.74 million) in damages from France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, following the conviction of its leader, Marine Le Pen, for embezzling EU funds, French broadcaster BFMTV reported on Tuesday.
The compensation sought corresponds to the total amount paid over the years to assistants of RN Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who were found to have performed non-parliamentary work. Le Pen, one of the main contenders for France’s 2027 presidential election, was found guilty of misappropriating these funds.
Separately, Le Pen is also challenging her disqualification from her local council position. After her conviction on March 31 for corruption, she was removed from her seat as a Pas-de-Calais departmental councilor on April 18. On Monday, she filed an appeal with the Lille Administrative Court seeking to overturn the decision. Le Pen had held the council position since her election in 2021.
The RN leader was sentenced to four years in prison—two years to be served under electronic surveillance and two years suspended—along with a €100,000 fine. She was also banned from holding public office for five years. Despite the conviction, Le Pen has vowed to appeal the verdict.
