New setback for Marine Le Pen: the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Tuesday, July 9, that an investigation was underway targeting the 2022 presidential campaign of the historic figure of the French far right, for suspicions of illegal financing. This confirmation of information from the BFMTV channel comes two days after the defeat on Sunday, July 7, of her National Rally (RN) party in the legislative elections in France.
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The investigations were launched following a report from the National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing (CNCCFP), the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday, confirming information from the television channel BFMTV. After a preliminary investigation, a judicial inquiry was opened on July 2 for ” loan from a legal person to a candidate in an election campaign, acceptance by a candidate in a campaign of a loan from a legal person, misappropriation of property by persons exercising a public function, fraud committed to the detriment of a public person, forgery and use of forged documents “, detailed the prosecution.
The investigations, entrusted to the financial brigade of the Paris judicial police, ” are now continuing under the direction of an investigating magistrate. “, he added.
The commission responsible for monitoring the regularity of candidates’ expenses – which are capped and part of which is reimbursed by the French state – had sent this report in 2023. No details were given on the nature of the suspicions.
” My client has never been heard in any capacity whatsoever on any fact relating to this general reproach.reacted in a press release the lawyer of Marine Le Penmaster Rodolphe Bosselut. Today she is facing a media campaign to which she cannot even respond or defend herself, in the absence of specific grievances brought to her attention which could be the subject of a detailed response. “, he added. He specified that he had asked ” in vain ” details to the prosecution.
” The process of making a vague accusation [et] not susceptible to being contested and debated, and thus to pillory my client in the media, is unfairconsidered Mr. Bosselut. I am very surprised because the campaign account was validated in December. 2022 and refunded in February 2023 “, a senior RN official told AFP. The latter specified that he did not know what facts were concerned.
Previous campaign expenses rejected, like other candidates
In mid-December 2022, the Campaign Accounts Commission rejected the expenses of “ flocking and deflocking ” of 12 coaches rented as part of the presidential campaign of the leader of the RN, for an amount of 316,182 euros. The Commission had considered that the use of this type of display constituted irregular expenditure.
The RN candidate, beaten in the second round by the current president Emmanuel Macronhad filed an appeal with the Constitutional Council before giving up. Marine Le Pen had invested nearly 11.5 million euros in her 2022 presidential campaign, her third. In 2017, she had already seen expenses of 873,576 euros rejected by the commission. These consisted of 95% of loans taken out from the National Front (FN, now RN) and her father’s micro-party Jean-Marie Le Pen. But she did not appeal at the time.
According to BFMTV, other candidates for the 2022 presidential election have been reported to the courts by the Campaign Accounts Commission.
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Trial in September for suspected embezzlement of European funds
The former president of the far-right party must also be tried with 24 other people and the RN as a party from September 30, 2024 before the Paris Criminal Court. This is for possible embezzlement of European funds between 2004 and 2016. The defendants are suspected of having set up, during this period, a system of remuneration by theEuropean Union assistants to MEPs who were actually working for the party. Marine Le Pen, who has always denied these allegations, is being targeted for misappropriation of public funds and complicity.
A court definitively validated the RN’s conviction in June in the campaign kits affairused by National Front candidates during the 2012 legislative elections and reimbursed by the State.
Marine Le Pen, re-elected as a member of parliament in the first round of early legislative elections on June 30 in her stronghold of Hénin-Beaumont, in the north of Franceis faced with the disappointing results obtained by his party at the end of the second round of the legislative elections on July 7. The RN, which was aiming for at least a relative majority in the new National Assembly, came in third on Sunday, a poor performance despite the election of 143 deputies – including its allies –, or more than 50 additional elected representatives compared to the 2022 contingent.
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