ineligibility rulings required against Marine Le Pen and the other twenty-four defendants

After a month and a half of hearing, the prosecution requested, on Wednesday, November 13, the necessary disqualification sentences against Marine Le Pen and the other twenty-four defendants – party directors, former MEPs and former parliamentary assistants. “modulated” depending on the responsibilities of each person.

Prosecutors requested that this sentence be accompanied by a “provisional execution”That is, it applies immediately, even if they appeal. what pain “would prohibit the defendants from running in future local or national elections”the prosecutor clarified in front of the three-time presidential candidate sitting in the first row of defendants. But “We are here in a judicial forum and the law applies to everyone”.

Of the “artificial contracts” parliamentary assistants for “save money” money for the national demonstration: the prosecution described in its indictment on Wednesday a “organized system” misappropriation of public funds to the detriment of the European Parliament.

“Today we are not here because of perseverance”not even for a complaint “of the European Parliament”but in the end “a long judicial investigation”immediately declares one of the two representatives of the prosecution, Louise Neyton. “You will make your decision based on the documents in the file”and then “six weeks of hearing” and “Particularly lively debates”continues the magistrate in a full courtroom, where Marine Le Pen was sitting in the front row next to Louis Aliot, current number 2 of the RN.

“Their only objective is to prevent me from being the presidential candidate of my side. [de 2027]. “You have to be deaf and blind not to see it.”the three-time presidential candidate had previously declared. Last week, he told the court that the penalty of ineligibility he faced would “extremely serious consequences”how to deprive millions of voters of “your candidate”.

In turn, throughout their searches, the two prosecutors detailed the architecture of a ” system “ which according to them was implemented in the National Front (now RN) between 2004 and 2016, consisting of the hiring of European parliamentary assistants “fictional” who really worked for the party.

“Standard test”

At the moment, “The party is in a particularly tense financial situation. “Everything that can contribute to reducing costs will be used systematically”Yeah “legal or not”said Louise Neyton, while Marine Le Pen did ” No “ vigorous head.

The European Parliament only does “accounting controls”otherwise it does ” trust “ to MEPs on the use of their monthly allocation of 21,000 euros: “So, it’s too tempting, these envelopes will appear as a gift from heaven and will be used as such”the magistrate insisted. and this ” system “says the prosecution, “strengthen” with the arrival, in 2011, of Marine Le Pen at the head of the party, with an employee responsible for the management of European contracts, who reports ” only “ to the president, the “giver of orders”.

In 2014, after the election of around twenty FN MEPs, the party’s treasurer, Wallerand de Saint-Just, wrote: “We will only get out of this if we achieve significant savings thanks to the European Parliament”remembers the prosecutor. And to mention the emails… “not all, there are too many” – talking about “financial arrangements”of “transfers” of such an assistant ” sure “ said MP depending on the availability of envelopes. Either, “you can choose”It is written in a message.

Facing “alternative fiction” Proposed as a defense, prosecutors then delved into the details of the case. Warned by notice and contract by contract, they dissected for each “the nature of the work” carried out by the 12 parliamentary assistants, the “bond of subordination” that they keep with “his deputy” Europeans: nine, including Marine Le Pen, were tried in total for misappropriation of public funds.

With a general observation. On proof of work, “there is nothing”except “The famous standard test: the press review”. Employment contracts? “Artificial”without ” consistency “ – “We are very happy with someone but we separate from them and then we get them back”commented Nicolás Barret. Of the “variable geometry declarations”or even ” anything “summarized Louise Neyton.

The European Parliament had estimated its financial damage at 4.5 million euros, but only claimed 3.4 million (a part was reimbursed).