Official court records and news reports

Le Pen Faces Trial Over Alleged €5.6 Million EU Fraud, Potential 10-Year Sentence

Sep 30, 2024, 11:37 AM

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Rally (RN) party, has gone on trial in Paris alongside 26 others, including her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, over allegations of misappropriating €5.6 million in European Union funds. The trial, which began on Monday nearly a decade after investigations started, centers on accusations that Le Pen and her party members used EU funds intended for parliamentary assistants to pay staff working for the party in France between 2004 and 2016, involving so-called 'fake jobs.' Le Pen denies any wrongdoing. If convicted, she and her party could face significant penalties, including up to 10 years in prison, fines up to €1 million, a decade-long ban from holding public office, and potential disqualification from future elections, jeopardizing her prospective 2027 presidential bid.