France: Le Pen to stand trial over accusations of EU funds misappropriation
PARIS – The long-time leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, Marine Le Pen, will stand trial in Paris court on Monday alongside 26 others over accusations of embezzling European Union funds.
Party officials and employees, former lawmakers, and parliamentary assistants are accused of using money destined for EU parliamentary work to pay staff who were working for the RN, formerly called the National Front.
Aiming to polish the RN party image before the public opinion, Le Pen keeps trying to acquit herself after almost a decade since the initial investigations started.
“We will therefore go to court to say that we have committed no offence […] I am very sure of our innocence,” she told newspaper La Tribune in September.
The fake jobs inquiry began in 2015, with prosecutors saying that since 2004, National Front euro deputies, including Le Pen, took part in the fake jobs scheme. By far, the European Parliament (EP) has estimated the loss at around €7 million.
The EU Parliament estimated that a “system” of misappropriation between 2004 and 2016 resulted in a loss of €6.8 million. In 2017, it sought repayment from Marine Le Pen for nearly €340,000, linked to the improper employment of Griset and Légier. After Le Pen refused to pay, the Parliament deducted tens of thousands of euros from her MEP allowance before she left Brussels that year. Faced with an enforceable recovery order, she ultimately repaid €330,000 in July 2023.
If convicted, the court could also declare Le Pen ineligible for office for up to 10 years, threatening her plan to make a fourth run for the French presidency.
According to EU law, lawmakers receive funds to cover expenses, including hiring assistants, but the regulations prohibit using these funds for party activities.
