“We didn’t break any rules.” : Marine Le Pen expressed her “serenity” this Monday at the opening of her trial and that of 24 other people and the National Rally, suspected of having misappropriated funds from the European Parliament to pay party employees. “We have a lot of arguments to develop to defend what appears to me to be the parliamentary freedom which is at issue in this affair”added the president of the RN group to the Assembly, before entering the room where she is seated in the first row, surrounded by Nicolas Crochet, an accountant also tried, and Catherine Griset, a very close friend, also accused at trial.
Marine Le Pen presents as much as possible in front of the judges
The trial opened at 1:45 p.m., President Bénédicte de Perthuis starting by ensuring the presence of the defendants at the hearing, two of whom were currently missing. She then began to list the offenses charged against each of the defendants – “a little long and a little tedious but obligatory”she warned. I will answer all the questions that the court may wish to ask me.” also assured Marine Le Pen during her first speech at the bar of the Paris criminal court.
Nine former MEPs from the National Front (renamed RN) will appear, including Marine Le Pen, Louis Aliot, now vice-president of the RN, the former number 2 of the party Bruno Gollnisch, and the deputy and spokesperson for the RN Julien Odoul. Alongside them, 12 people who were their 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 as much as possible in front of the judges, but on Tuesday, she could favor the general policy declaration of the new Prime Minister Michel Barnier to the National Assembly.
