In Paris, a lawsuit against Marin Le Pen, the leadership of the National Association, who, together with his father, Jean-Marie Le Penn, and another 23 party members, is accused of laundering the European Parliament. About it reports France24.
Court hearings relate to the accusations of "misuse of public funds" of the European Union from 2004 to 2016. According to the investigation, Le Pen and her team used the funds of the European Parliament to pay for parliamentary assistants who actually performed the task only for the party. According to information, losses are estimated at 6.8 million euros.
This process can seriously affect Marin Le Pen's political career. In the case of found guilty, it faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to 1 million euros, as well as deprivation of the right to participate in elections for a period of five to 10 years. This means that it may not be allowed to participate in the 2027 presidential race.
The Le Peni investigation became known in July 2022, when its main competitor in the presidential election, the current President of France, Emmanuel Macron, was suspected of illegally financing the campaign. According to reports, the supervisory department was interested in the activity of the party, which led to the official complaint of the National Commission from the accounts of election campaigns and political financing.
