numerous defendants around a “serene” Marine Le Pen

At the opening of the trial of the assistants of National Front (FN, now National Rally, RN) MEPs, the former president of the party declared that she wanted to answer “all the questions”. The debates have not yet really started.

The defendants, alone, occupy the first three ranks of the 11^e chamber of the Paris criminal court. On the first floor, from left to right, sat Bruno Gollnisch, Catherine Griset, Marine Le Pen and Nicolas Crochet. The close guard of the former president of the National Front (FN), now the National Rally (RN). In the second row, Wallerand de Saint-Just, Thierry Légier, Julien Odoul. The very close ones. Then, behind, in small clusters, other former parliamentary assistants of the party scattered, alongside their lawyers, or on their own. On the first day of this trial, of the 28 people dismissed in particular for embezzlement of public funds, most were present in the room. Two had been excused, and their cases separated due to their state of health: Jean-Marie Le Pen, 96, and former deputy Jean-François Jalkh.

As she had announced, the leader of the RN group in the Assembly was there at the opening of the debates, and will be “as much as possible” according to those around him. That is to say, when the political agenda will not impose itself, over the next two months (the hearings will take place three half-days a week, until November 27). Before the bell rang in the room, synonymous with the start of the hearing, Marine Le Pen gave her feelings in front of a wall of cameras: “I approach this trial with great serenity. 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. […] We have not violated any political rule and any regulatory rule of any kind from the European Parliament. »

A political defense therefore, more than legal. Since the start of this affair almost ten years ago, the party has been on the same line: the parliamentary assistants of FN MEPs, paid by Brussels and yet assigned to the smooth running of the political apparatus, have worked well. These are therefore not fictitious jobs. By carrying out this investigation, French justice came to threaten and interfere in parliamentary work. Furthermore, they were not accused of any personal enrichment.

The investigating judges took another look at the case: they estimated the damage to the European Parliament at 7 million euros, and considered that the FN had put in place a real system to divert this public money to its own ends. profit. A large-scale system, in which at least 28 people took part, including the entire party staff.

“I will answer all the questions,” assures Marine Le Pen

In the courtroom, the former little hands, the executives of the RN and its former president will have to wait a few days to speak. After a few more or less warm hugs, kisses or handshakes, everyone must sit down and respond to the president’s call.

Laurent Salles? “We say Laurent Salles, without pronouncing the S.” replies the young man. Louis Aliot’s former parliamentary assistant was unable to prove during the investigation that he had worked for the former MEP who paid him for eight months. Only one SMS and eight emails exchanged between the two men over the period were found by the police.

Charles Hourcade? The former parliamentary assistant to MEP Marie-Christine Boutonnet is present. “He has work and may not be there every day”specifies his lawyer.

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Nicholas Bay? The MEP, elected in June under the banner of Reconquest! then dismissed by Eric Zemmour, is there. What will he reveal, admit, confess? For now, he simply confirms that he will be present at the hearings. Yann Le Pen? The sister of Marine Le Pen and mother of Marion Maréchal is absent. Her lawyer excuses her, he will represent her. Thierry Légier, the bodyguard of all the party presidents, from Jean-Marie Le Pen to Jordan Bardella today, is also in the room. The missions of a security agent do not appear in the definition of those of a parliamentary assistant, yet Légier was paid through multiple contracts in this way.

Then we climb the hierarchy. Louis Aliot, mayor of Perpignan? Absent. Bruno Gollnisch? Present, and we suspect, very talkative. He has been preparing for months to defend himself and his party. He does not wish to give his address, “to the extent that I still receive threats”. The other defendants before him bit their lips, they did not dare to protest when the same question was asked of them. All provided their home addresses.

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Marine Le Pen? The three-time presidential candidate stands up. She faces up to ten years of imprisonment, a fine of 150,000 euros but above all an additional penalty of ineligibility. She also wants her address not disclosed in the courtroom. To the president, who reminds her that she will have the right to remain silent, the former lawyer retorts: “I will answer all the questions that the court may wish to ask me. »

Mardi 1^is October, for the second day of hearing, the member for Pas-de-Calais has already planned to be absent to attend Michel Barnier’s general policy speech before the National Assembly.