In a high-profile case that could shake France’s far-right political landscape, 28 prominent figures from the Rassemblement National (RN) — including former party leader Marine Le Pen and her father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen — are standing trial over allegations of embezzling nearly €7 million in EU funds. The accusations span from 2004 to 2016 and target the party, ex-MEPs, and their assistants, casting a long shadow over the political careers of those involved.
The Allegations: Fraudulent Use of Parliamentary Funds
The crux of the allegations revolves around funds that were supposed to pay for the work of parliamentary assistants employed by French Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). According to investigators, the Rassemblement National is accused of using these EU-provided funds to employ assistants who were, in reality, working for the party itself, not for the European Parliament.
The total funds at stake are estimated to be around €7 million. In a preemptive move, Marine Le Pen repaid €330,000 to the European Parliament last year, but the party maintains that this repayment was not an admission of guilt. The leadership has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, calling the trial a politically motivated attack.
Impact on Le Pen’s Political Future
The legal saga could have severe consequences for Marine Le Pen, who has long been a dominant figure in France’s far-right and has run for the French presidency multiple times. If convicted, Le Pen and her co-defendants face not only fines and prison sentences of up to ten years but could also be banned from holding political office for five years. Such a ruling would severely undermine Le Pen’s anticipated run in the 2027 presidential election.
Current Party Leader Jordan Bardella in the Crosshairs?
While Jordan Bardella, the current leader of the Rassemblement National and a rising star within the party, is not directly implicated in this trial, he is not entirely in the clear. French newspaper Libération recently reported allegations that Bardella purchased a three-year-old calendar in 2018 and backdated it to include supposed EU parliamentary meetings. Bardella has denied the claims, but legal experts warn that this could lead to a separate investigation.
As the trial unfolds, the Rassemblement National’s leadership faces intense scrutiny, potentially reshaping France’s political right just as it gears up for a series of critical elections.
