(Bloomberg) — French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said she won’t avoid any questions on the opening day of a trial in Paris, where she and her National Rally party are accused of embezzling millions of euros in European Union funds to to build a platform in France.
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The criminal trial, which began Monday afternoon, centers on allegations that Le Pen and other party members elected to the European Parliament improperly used a budget allocation for EU assistants, which has since risen to almost €30,000 ($33,574) per month .
The lawsuit comes at a time when Le Pen’s influence on French politics has never been greater, as she has been able to exercise a de facto veto over the policies of new Prime Minister Michel Barnier amid a deeply divided National Assembly. For Le Pen, the trial threatens to derail her party’s plans to build credibility and convince French voters it is ready to govern in the next presidential election in 2027.
Shortly before 2:30 pm local time, Le Pen was called to the witness stand to confirm her identity and the charges against her were read out by the chairman. The 56-year-old politician then made a short statement.
“I will answer any questions the court has asked me,” she said before sitting back down as more defendants were called to the stand.
Specifically, Le Pen allegedly made the European Parliament pay the salaries of four assistants between 2009 and 2016 “without requiring them to perform duties consistent with their duties as parliamentary assistants,” according to the indictment. In other words, the assistants would have concentrated on work for the National Rally in France rather than on EU affairs as specified in their contracts. The indictment shows that someone even worked as a personal assistant for her father Jean-Marie.
If Le Pen is found guilty, he could theoretically face a prison sentence and a fine, as well as a ban from running for public office for as many as 10 years. That could prevent her from running for office in the 2027 elections. However, challenging the judgment would generally suspend the enforcement of the judgment until all appeal options have been exhausted. She has previously been convicted of defamation.
Unfit father
Le Pen is further accused of encouraging others to misuse EU funds. More than twenty others and the party itself, known in French as Rassemblement National, are on trial alongside her. Le Pen’s father and party founder have also faced accusations but were deemed unfit to defend himself due to his deteriorating medical condition.
The Le Pens and the National Rally have denied impropriety throughout. But researchers point to an email sent to Le Pen a decade ago to suggest the party saw the European Assembly as a kind of piggy bank after years of overspending.
In the message, the party’s then accountant says: “We can only make ends meet if we make significant savings thanks to the European Parliament.”
(Updates with Le Pen’s statement in court from first paragraph)
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