Marine Le Pen will be taking the stand on Monday in a Parisian court alongside 26 others facing allegations of misappropriation of European Union funding. French far-right National Rally (RN) party, led by long-time chief Ms Le Pen, is on trial. Her chance to disprove charges she has consistently rejected comes after nearly ten years of investigation.
While the trial bears the potential for Le Pen to clear her name and strengthen her party’s image for governmental suitability, it also thrusts into the limelight the party’s repeated legal issues. Accusations revolve around officials, staff, past legislators, and parliamentary assistants exploiting European Union funding intended for parliamentary tasks to compensate RN workers, then known as the National Front.
While EU lawmakers entitled to funds for expenses, including aides’ salaries, it’s improper for these funds to be expended on party operations. In practice, numerous European parties, particularly smaller ones receiving less national funding, have used EU money to engage capable newcomers as EU legislative aides.
RN’s leader, MEP Jordan Bardella, who previously worked in such a role, is not on trial. The party, a member of the leading group of Euro-sceptic and nationalist groups in the European Parliament advocating “France first” policies on topics like immigration, energy markets, and farming, rejects all charges.
Ms Le Pen is accused of both her position as party chief and her role as an EU politician who reportedly hired sham assistants. Another defendant, Thierry Legier, is said by prosecutors to have been in the service of Ms Le Pen and Jean-Marie Le Pen, her father and National Front’s founder, as a bodyguard while collecting a paycheck as a parliamentary specialist from 2005 to 2012.
Last week, Laurent Jacobelli, an RN legislator and the party’s representative, told Reuters that Ms Le Pen was unworried about the trial. He noted that the dispute boils down to a difference in interpretation between the European Parliament and a French party of what constitutes an assistant role.
The potential penalties for Ms Le Pen and the other defendants if proven guilty are severe: up to ten years imprisonment, a €1 million fine, and a ban from public service for as long as five years.
Ms Le Pen, a prominent figure in France, has not been successful in her previous two attempts at winning the French presidency from Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and 2022. Many perceive her as a strong contender for the forthcoming 2027 elections.
An inquiry initiated by the Paris prosecutor circuit in 2016 arose from a report filed to the French justice minister by the president of the European Parliament in 2015, subsequently triggering a police investigation. The case involved a detailed probe into the roles of 49 RN parliamentary aides spanning across three European Parliament terms.
Accusations concerning misappropriation of European Union finances have led to charging 11 RN members including Ms Le Pen and her father. Additionally, 13 parliamentary assistants face charges in connection with receiving these funds. Due to health complications, Mr Le Pen, aged 96, will not be present at the trial proceedings which are set to conclude on November 27th.
Simultaneously, there is a separate preliminary investigation underway that was initiated in July by the Paris prosecutor’s office. This probe pertains to alleged irregularities concerning the funding of RN’s 2022 presidential campaign. This information is according to reports from Reuters.