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The Paris prosecutor’s office has requested the opening of a trial against the National Rally and 27 people suspected of having taken money from the European Union to pay assistants actually working for the party. The National Rally rejects the accusation.
The investigation began in March 2015: the European Parliament referred the matter to the European Union’s anti-fraud body. In his sights: MEPs from the National Front (current National Rally). A dozen people described as parliamentary assistants would have worked directly for the party, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. For example, a chief of staff or a bodyguard. Which would constitute a misappropriation of the 21,000 euros monthly allocated to each person.
A risk of ineligibility of five to ten years
Eleven MEPs are targeted, figures from the FN eleven years ago: Marine Le Pen, Julien Odoul, Louis Alliot, Bruno Gollnisch and even Nicolas Bay and Wallerand de Saint-Just. In 2017, Marine Le Pen was indicted for breach of trust and complicity, reclassified as embezzlement of public funds. Parliamentary assistants and four FN collaborators could also be tried. The party, as a legal entity, is accused of complicity and concealment of embezzlement of public funds. The accused risk up to 10 years in prison and several million euros in fines. Marine Le Pen and others could be ineligible for five or even 10 years. The European Parliament, acting as a civil party, estimates the amount of damage at 6.8 million euros.