Marine Le Pen's EU Funds Trial: A Summary
Marine Le Pen's EU Funds Trial: A Summary
Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, is currently on trial in Paris for allegedly misusing EU funds. Le Pen and 27 other members and employees of her party, then known as the National Front, are accused of using EU money to finance domestic political activities between 2006 and 2016. The European parliament claims that the money should have been used on EU staff salaries and has estimated the allegedly embezzled funds at about €7m. Le Pen has denied the charges and used her testimony to attack the European parliament as a slow-moving, alien 'blob'. She could face a prison sentence, a €1m fine, and being disbarred from political office for five years if convicted. The trial is expected to continue until 27 November.