France's Marine Le Pen rejects embezzlement claims as presidential bid hangs in the balance
France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen has thrown in recent weeks all her energy at a Paris trial into fighting what she calls unfair accusations that her party embezzled European Parliament funds
PARIS (AP) — Marine Le Pen has focused all her energy in recent weeks fighting what she claims are unfair accusations that her National Rally party embezzled European Parliament funds. France’s leading far-right figure is now facing a crucial moment in a high-profile trial where her eligibility to run for president in 2027 is at stake.
Le Pen is anticipating a guilty verdict, as prosecutors wrap up their case Wednesday and lay out their proposed sentence. The trial is scheduled to finish Nov. 27, with a verdict at a later date.
Le Pen is among 25 National Rally officials accused of having used money intended for European Union parliamentary aides to instead pay staff who worked for the party between 2004 and 2016, in violation of the 27-nation bloc’s regulations. The National Rally was called the National Front at the time.
Prosecutor Louise Neyton said the judicial investigation has shown that the alleged fraudulent acts "are unprecedented because of their scope, duration and because of their organized, automatic and systemic nature." She used her introductory remarks to denounce “the serious and lasting damage these facts and this behavior have caused to the democratic game.”
