The European Parliament is demanding more than 300,000 euros from Jean-Marie Le Pen for having improperly invoiced the institution for the fees of the MEP mandate, as Agence France-Presse (AFP) learned on Monday, October 7, through sources close to the matter. .
The former far-right leader has filed an appeal against this decision before the General Court of the European Union, announced his lawyer, M.my François Wagner.
In a decision of July 8, notified to Jean-Marie Le Pen but not made public, the secretary general of the European Parliament demands 303,200.99 euros. At issue: the use of mandate fees in the European Parliament’s “budget line 400”, intended to cover “Administrative and operating expenses of the political groups and the secretariat of non-attached deputies” and those “related to political and information activities within the framework of the political activities of the European Union”.
But “These credits cannot be used to finance any type of European, national, regional or local electoral campaign” EITHER “be used for the purchase of real estate or vehicles”specifies the regulations of the institution.
“Badly paid funds”
However, between 2009 and 2018, the founder of the National Front was improperly reimbursed, within the framework of this “budget line 400”, for expenses for newsletters, pens, business cards, ties, umbrellas, kitchen scales, desk clocks , connected bracelets. , virtual reality glasses or even 129 bottles of wine, according to a report by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
In particular, OLAF had considered that several newsletters “copy and paste” of open access texts and had been overcharged “in relation to the work actually performed for [les] produce “according to excerpts from his report published by Half part in March 2022.
Contacted by AFP, the European Parliament announced that “The administration of Parliament must, when it receives serious indications that funds have been paid unduly, to carry out a verification of compliance with the financial administrative rules applicable to the case in question, to request clarification from the Member in question and to recover the money unduly paid. if proof of compliant expenses is not presented”. “This is not a substitute for any legal procedure or investigation.”adds the institution.
Jean-Marie Le Pen challenges this decision before the General Court of the European Union in the hope of winning his case. His lawyer, M.my François Wagner specified that the appeal aims to demonstrate that the expenses incurred complied with the standards established by the European Parliament. The court will have to decide on the legitimacy of the refunds made and determine whether the funds were used wisely.
