Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party in France, has been found guilty of embezzlement of public funds by the Paris Correctional Court, in a session marked by the presence of several prominent members of her party, who were also charged. The ruling, focused on the diversion of EU funds intended to pay advisers in Brussels, states that eight MEPs from the party have also been declared guilty. In particular, the amount embezzled by Le Pen would amount to 474,000 euros, within a scandal that has resulted in total damages of 4.1 million euros, according to the court. With a ruling that could politically disqualify her for five years, the president of the court stressed that this decision could have significant implications ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.
The case, known as the fictitious jobs scandal, dates back to an investigation begun a decade ago, prompted by allegations of a fraudulent scheme that sought to use funding from the European Parliament to fund the party's domestic activities in France, between 2004 and 2016. Although the prosecution requested disqualification and prison sentences for Le Pen and twenty-four other defendants, she has denounced that the objective is to prevent her presidential bid. The trial has highlighted similar practices in other French parties and even Spain's Podemos. Now, the case could reach the Constitutional Council, whose decision on the application of a disqualification penalty for a national office could set an important legal precedent.
Read the full news article on The Country.
