Among the defendants who will sit in the dock are Marine Le Pen and her father, Jean-Marie.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen will stand trial along with 27 other defendants in a case of misuse of EU funds, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced today, confirming French media reports. Le Pen and her party deny the accusations.
Among the defendants who will sit in the dock are Marine Le Pen and her father, Jean-Marie.
A preliminary hearing is set for March 27, followed by a trial expected to begin in October.
The aim of the investigation, which began in 2016, was to determine whether the then-named “National Front” had used funds intended for MEP assistants in order to pay party officials.
MEPs are allocated funds to cover expenses, including those for their assistants, but are not allowed to be used for party expenses.
“We formally dispute the accusations against our MEPs and their aides,” said a statement issued by Le Pen’s far-right party, the National Alarm (RN). It is also emphasized that Marine Le Pen did not commit an offense and that there were no irregularities in the employment of parliamentary assistants, based on both the European Parliament’s regulations and French legislation.
Head of the RN until 2021, Marine Le Pen contested the French presidency in the 2017 and 2022 elections, and may run again in 2027.
Source :Skai
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