At the heart of this system is a 58-year-old Belgian accountant, Charles Van Houtte, considered “the kingpin” of the ex-FN in the European Parliament in Brussels. In this case, Marine Le Pen’s former parliamentary assistant is accused of having created tables showing each MEP from the far-right party, the collaborators working for them and the budgets still available per elected official. This is in order to optimize the envelopes allocated by the EU to each MEP in order to pay their parliamentary assistants, more than 21,000 euros per month, estimated the investigators in charge of the thorny file.
“Instructions”
Defended by Brussels criminal lawyer Henri Laquay, who did not wish to comment on the start of the trial, the Belgian accountant contests and will defend himself in the coming weeks. Charles Van Houtte would have notably indicated to investigators that his paintings were intended solely to not exceed the budgets allocated by Europe and in no case to create fictitious jobs for the benefit of the far-right party.
The family of Soufiane Al Aroub, shot dead in a cafe in Koekelberg in August, hopes for dignified justice “notwithstanding his delicate legal past”
Charles Van Houtte was indicted in September 2018 for complicity in embezzlement of public funds. The previous year, however, he had indicated to the French authorities that he had received “instructions” from Marine Le Pen regarding these EU contracts. The two cities face big risks: a maximum ten-year sentence and a fine of one million euros for this prevention and up to five years of ineligibility for Marine Le Pen. Less than three years before the French presidential election, it is clear that the trial will be more than scrutinized by the media and the population.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, also prosecuted, will not attend the trial, his state of health not allowing him to do so.
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