She was at the “center” of an “organized system” intended to make the European Parliament a “cash cow”: this accusation against Marine Le Pen required five years in prison on Wednesday in Paris, including two years in prison that could be adjusted and five years of ineligibility against the leader of the French far right, which threatens her presidential ambitions for 2027.
The requested prison sentence is flexible, which means that the MP and leader of the National Rally (RN) would not necessarily go to prison.
However, it could prevent him from running in the 2027 presidential election: the public prosecutor has in fact requested that the penalty of ineligibility be accompanied by provisional execution, that is to say that it applies immediately, even in the event of an appeal.
Such pain would prohibit the defendants from running in future local or national elections
said prosecutor Nicolas Barret in front of the three-time presidential candidate, seated in the first row of the 24 defendants (party executives, ex-MEPs and former parliamentary assistants).
However, we are here in a judicial forum and the law applies to everyone
: justice cannot be accountable for ambitions
everyone’s policies, he added.
I think that the desire of the prosecution is to deprive the French of the ability to vote for those they want and to ruin the party.
A fine of 300,000 euros ($443,500) was requested against him, in addition to a fine of 4.3 million euros ($6.3 million), including 2 million euros firm (2. $95 million), for his party. The prosecution is not in justice, it is in relentlessness and revenge against Marine Le Pen. His scandalous requisitions aim to deprive millions of French people of their vote in 2027. It is an attack on democracy
shouted the president of RNJordan Bardella, sur X.
Organized system
The prosecution depicted in its indictment on Wednesday a organized system
of misappropriation of public funds to the detriment of the European Parliament with artificial contracts
parliamentary assistants in order to save money
money to the party.
We are not here today due to persistence
nor because of a denunciation of the European Parliament
but in the end a long judicial investigation
declared straight away, at the start of the indictment, one of the two representatives of the prosecution, Louise Neyton.
Open in full screen mode
Marine Le Pen speaks to journalists after the end of the indictment.
Photo: afp via getty images / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT
In turn, throughout their requisitions, the two prosecutors detailed the architecture of a system
which, according to them, was implemented at the National Front (now National Rally) between 2004 and 2016, which consisted of hiring European parliamentary assistants fictional
who actually worked for the party.
The European Parliament only makes accounting controls
for the rest he does trust
to MEPs regarding the use of their monthly allocation of 21,000 euros ($31,046): So, it’s too tempting, these envelopes will appear as a godsend and be used as such
insisted the magistrate.
And this system
says the prosecution, reinforced
with the arrival, in 2011, of Marine Le Pen at the head of the party, with an employee responsible for managing European contracts, who reported only
to the president, the order giver
.
In 2014, after the election of around twenty MEPs FNthe party treasurer, Wallerand de Saint-Just, wrote: We will only get out of this if we make significant savings thanks to the European Parliament
recalled the prosecutor.
She then spoke about the emails which indicate financial arrangements
of transfers
of such an assistant on
such MP depending on the availability of envelopes.
Anything
Facing la fiction alternative
proposed as a defense, the prosecutors then delved at length into the details of the case. Warned by warning and contract by contract, they dissected for each the nature of the work
carried out by the 12 parliamentary assistants, the subordination link
that they maintain with their deputy
European (nine, including Marine Le Pen, are tried in total for embezzlement of public funds).
With a general observation: in proof of work, there is nothing
except the famous standard proof: the press review
. Employment contracts? Artificial
sans consistency
. We are very happy with someone, but we part with them, then we take them back
commented Nicolas Barret.
Of the variable geometry declarations
or even anything
summarized Louise Neyton.
The European Parliament assessed its financial damage at 4.5 million euros ($6.65 million) but is only claiming 3.4 ($5.02 million), a part having been reimbursed.
