Marine Le Pen to Appear in Court Over Misuse of EU Funds

Marine Le Pen, the head of France's National Rally party, along with 27 others, will stand trial at the Paris Criminal Court on charges of misappropriating funds from the European Union. This information was reported by Franceinfo, citing the Paris prosecutor's office.

The trial is scheduled to take place from September 30 to November 27, 2024. Among those involved are Marine Le Pen, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, and the National Rally party itself as a legal entity. At the end of September, the Paris prosecutor's office requested the court to present the case against 27 individuals connected to the National Rally, who are suspected of participating in a system of misusing European public funds between 2004 and 2016. The damage sustained in the European Parliament from 2009 to 2017 has been estimated at 6.8 million euros.

In a statement, the National Rally party asserted, "We formally contest the charges against our Members of the European Parliament and their assistants in the Parliament." The document notes that Marine Le Pen has committed no legal violations. It is also mentioned that there were no violations in hiring her assistants, adhering to both European Parliamentary regulations and French legislation.

The list of individuals summoned to court predominantly includes party figures from the mid-2010s, with 11 individuals elected to the European Parliament on the National Front's lists, which has since been rebranded as the National Rally, along with 12 who were their assistants in Parliament, and another four who were party staff members. EU lawmakers receive funds to cover expenses, including for their assistants; however, these are not intended for party needs.