Marine Le Pen, the long-time leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, stood trial on Monday in a Paris criminal court alongside 26 co-defendants and the RN itself, facing allegations of misappropriating European Union funds.
If found guilty, the 56-year-old Le Pen risks being barred from public office for up to 10 years, which would disqualify her from participating in the 2027 presidential election. She previously lost to Emmanuel Macron in the second rounds of both the 2017 and 2022 elections.
Prior to the hearings in Paris, Le Pen maintained her innocence, asserting, “We have not broken any rules,” and expressed that she was “very calm.” Recent French opinion polls suggest that, if the presidential election were held today, she would lead in the first round. Le Pen was re-elected to the French Parliament in June.
At the trial’s opening in northern Paris, she opted not to disclose her address to the court for security reasons but assured the presiding judge, “I will answer all the questions that you will ask me.” Le Pen has denied accusations of embezzling EU funds by using them to pay parliamentary assistants who were allegedly working for her political party, then known as the National Front.
This name change was part of a broader effort to rehabilitate the party’s image, which had been tarnished by anti-Semitic remarks from its founder and Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
“The only question that is being asked is whether some of our collaborators and MEPs were permitted to work in liaison with the political party,” RN MEP Alexandre Varaut stated. He criticized prominent socialists, including former justice minister Christian Taubira and ex-European Parliament president Martin Schulz, for attempting to “stop the inexorable rise of the RN.” Varaut argued that the case is “particularly unfair,” noting that it has long been public knowledge that many political parties employ assistants who also work for party functions, a practice he insists is not illegal.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, aged 96, was excused from the trial due to health issues. This trial follows nearly a decade of investigations and is set to conclude on November 27. It involves nine former MEPs, including Le Pen and party vice president Louis Aliot, as well as party spokesman Julien Odoul and four other RN staff members. Current party head Jordan Bardella, who previously served as an assistant, is not on trial.
In 2015, a National Front organizational chart suggested that several parliamentary assistants were also working for the party. While EU politicians receive funds for expenses, including assistant salaries, these funds are not intended for party-related activities.
The European Parliament estimates the financial damage at €3.5 million ($3.92 million), according to its lawyer. The RN has already repaid €1 million, which it asserts is not an admission of guilt.
Evidence presented by the prosecution includes contracts for assistant roles lasting as little as one day, aimed at maximizing spending allowances. Prosecutors allege that many assistants worked exclusively for the party and could not accurately describe their day-to-day duties, with some never having met their assigned MEPs or entered the Parliament building. Allegations include hiring individuals such as a bodyguard, a secretary, Le Pen’s chief of staff, and a graphic designer under false pretenses.
Last week, RN party spokesman Laurent Jacobelli told Reuters that Le Pen is not worried about the trial, stating, “She knows that what we are accused of is having a different understanding, as a French party, of what an assistant role is, compared with the European Parliament’s understanding.”
Additionally, the RN is under preliminary investigation, initiated in July by the Paris prosecutor’s office, concerning allegations of illegal financing related to its 2022 presidential campaign.