Party had no system' to misuse EU funds, Marine Le Pen tells appeal trial

"The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has told a Paris appeals court there was no system set up by her party to misuse European parliament funds, as she gave evidence in a fresh embezzlement trial that will determine whether she can run in the 2027 presidential election. The word system' bothers me because [it gives] the impression of a manipulation,"

"Le Pen, 57, who leads the anti-immigration National Rally (RN), formerly called Front National, was considered to be one of the top contenders for next year's election until she was barred from running for public office last March after being found guilty of an extensive and long-running fake jobs scam at the European parliament. Judges ruled that Le Pen was at the heart of a carefully organised system of embezzlement of European parliament funds from 2004 to 2016."

Marine Le Pen told a Paris appeals court that no party system existed to misuse European Parliament funds and denied instructing MEPs to hire assistants who worked for party headquarters. She said the word "system" implies manipulation and rejected claims that she asked MEPs to divert assistants to the Front National. Le Pen was barred from running after a conviction for a long-running fake jobs scam at the European Parliament, with judges finding her central to organised embezzlement from 2004 to 2016. She was given a five-year ban, a four-year sentence with partial suspension and an electronic bracelet, and fined 100,000. She is appealing to overturn the verdict; the appeal outcome, expected before summer, will determine her eligibility for the 2027 presidential race and whether Jordan Bardella would replace her if she cannot run. The appeals court heard that taxpayer money intended for MEP assistants in Strasbourg or Brussels was allegedly siphoned off by the party.

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