French prosecutors on Wednesday filed an indictment against nationalist politician Marine Le Pen in a Paris court over allegations that she embezzled European Parliament (EP) funds. The prosecutor’s office is asking for a five-year prison sentence and a ban on public office for the same length of time. TASR reports according to the AFP agency.
The prosecutor’s office accuses Le Pen and other people from her party, the National Association (RN), of creating fictitious jobs in the European Parliament. Le Pen’s father, 96-year-old Jean-Marie Le Pen, is also accused in the case, but his personal participation in the court is not expected due to his poor physical condition. Le Pen herself denies the accusations and calls them an attempt to “ruin the RN”.
The investigation into the case started back in 2015, and it concerns the employment contracts of alleged RN deputy assistants from 2004 to 2016. The prosecutor’s office claims that the assistants employed in this way worked for the party exclusively outside the EP, and many of them never met the MEPs they worked under or even set foot in the EP building. For example, a security guard, a secretary or the head of Le Pen’s office were allegedly employed in such fictitious jobs.
The rules of operation of the EP state that full-time assistants to MEPs must not perform paid work for a political party in the Member State and that part-time assistants must also have a second job.
If convicted, Le Pen could appeal the verdict, delaying the final verdict until the 2027 presidential election. which would allow the RN leader to run in them for the fourth time.
