Le Pen appears in Paris court over EU money
Date
10/1/2024 4:39:37 AM
(MENAFN) Marine Le Pen, the prominent right-wing French politician, appeared in a Paris court on Monday to face trial concerning allegations of embezzlement involving EUR3 million (USD3.3 million) in European Union funds. These accusations relate to activities purportedly carried out by senior members of her former party, the National Rally, between 2004 and 2016.
According to French authorities, the alleged scheme involved lawmakers from the National Front—now the National Rally—who falsely claimed to employ 20 assistants in the European Parliament. These assistants were said to have held simultaneous positions within the party, yet reportedly did not perform any European Union-related duties. Instead, they spent the majority of their time in France while continuing to receive payments from the European Union, a practice that violates established European Union parliamentary regulations.
Le Pen, who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2004 to 2017, is specifically accused of listing her bodyguard and chief of staff as her official assistants. Joining her in the trial are several other defendants, including her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the former president of the National Front, a former party treasurer, three former vice-presidents, a former secretary general, and a spokesperson.
If convicted, the defendants face potential prison sentences of up to ten years, along with fines reaching EUR1 million (USD1.1 million) each. They may also be barred from holding public office for an additional five years. The investigation, initiated in 2016, has its foundation in emails uncovered by French authorities two years earlier, in which Marine Le Pen and the party’s former treasurer allegedly discussed the illicit scheme.
Upon her arrival at the court, Le Pen asserted that her party had not violated any political or regulatory rules set by the European Parliament. She expressed confidence in her defense, promising to present “extremely serious and extremely solid arguments” during the trial, as she seeks to clear her name amid serious allegations.
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