European public funds: the trial against Marine Le Pen, the RN and 24 other people opens on Monday in Paris
The trial against Marine Le Pen, 24 other people and the National Rally, suspected of having embezzled funds from the European Parliament to pay party employees, begins on Monday before the Paris Criminal Court. Nine former MEPs from the National Front (renamed RN) will appear, including Marine Le Pen, Louis Aliot, now RN vice-president, former party number 2 Bruno Gollnisch, and RN MP and spokesperson Julien Odoul. .
Along with them, 12 people who were his parliamentary assistants and four party collaborators will also be tried in this trial scheduled for three half-days a week until November 27.
The leader of the RN has indicated that she intends to appear before the judges as much as possible, but on Tuesday she could favor the general policy declaration of the new Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, to the National Assembly. “Marine Le Pen has decided to be very present in this trial. Some say “she will hide, she will not come.” Not at all. “It’s not the type of house.”RN deputy Sébastien Chenu assured RTL on Sunday, promising that the president of the far-right group in the Assembly would advance “a series of new elements”.
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The case began in 2015 with a report by the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, and concerns numerous parliamentary attaché contracts over a period of more than ten years (2004-2016). For the prosecution, these “helpers”struggling to describe his tasks, he only had the title. Some had never even met their official employer or set foot in Parliament and, according to the prosecution, only worked for the party, which is prohibited under European regulations.
Most of the defendants oppose en bloc, citing a “group” of the work of parliamentary assistants. The RN has been denouncing for years a “relentless”or even a procedure ” policy “.
