Marine Le Pen and National Rally Officials on Trial in Fake EU Jobs Embezzlement Case

Oct 14, 2024, 12:40 PM

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen appeared in a Paris court to face charges of embezzling European Union funds through the creation of fake jobs in the EU Parliament. Le Pen and two dozen officials from her National Rally party are accused of misusing EU money by paying party staff for domestic political work rather than for their roles as EU parliamentary assistants. Le Pen defended herself by arguing that the roles of domestic and EU political work overlap. The trial marks the first time Le Pen has been formally questioned in court over these allegations.