EU anti-fraud body accuses Marine Le Pen of embezzlement
GuardianNov 23, 2021
France: Le Pen Embezzlement Trial Begins
Above: French Rassemblement National Member of Parliament Marine Le Pen leaves a Paris courtroom on Sept. 30, 2024. Image copyright: Alain Jocard/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
The embezzlement trial of National Rally (RN) Member of Parliament Marine Le Pen and more than 20 members of her party began Monday. She's accused of creating "fake jobs" to illegally take EU Parliament funds and use them for party operations.
Prosecutors allege that between 2004 and 2016, RN hired several parliamentary assistants — who were paid with EU funds and only worked for the party in violation of funding laws.
The Spin
Left narrative
These RN members have spent years cheating Europe's parliamentary system out of millions. After years of investigation, incriminating documents and testimony — most notably correspondence between party leaders — show that Le Pen and her colleagues deserve whatever punishments they're due.
Right narrative
Le Pen is being politically prosecuted to keep her and her increasingly popular views on immigration away from power. As with Donald Trump in America, France's left-wing establishment is using the justice system to drum up bogus charges against a woman they see as a political threat. If anyone is committing a crime, it's the government.