ПОСМОТРИТЕ ЕЩЕ: On March 31, the court found guilty of the leader of the French far-right National Union party Marine Le Pen and eight other members of the European Parliament in the case of embezzlement of European Union funds. About this informs The Guardian. The Criminal Court of Paris passed the relevant decision on Monday, March 31. Among the convicts are members of the European Parliament from the "National Union" and 12 parliamentary assistants. Marine Le Pen received four years of imprisonment, of which two years were suspended under house arrest with the wearing of an electronic bracelet. In addition, the court fined her 100,000 euros (approximately $108,000) and banned her from running for elected office for five years. The ban takes effect immediately after the verdict is announced, regardless of whether an appeal is filed, making it impossible for her to run in the 2027 presidential election. Criminal proceedings against the leadership of the "National Union" (former "National Front") began in September 2024. A total of 27 people were involved in the case, including Marine Le Pen's sister Jan, her former partner Louis Aliot and Jean-Marie Le Pen's father. Due to his health, 96-year-old Jean-Marie Le Pen was not present at the meetings, and in January 2025 he died. The essence of the accusations is the misuse of EU funds and the hidden financing of the party through the fictitious employment of assistants to the deputies of the European Parliament. Damages were estimated at almost 7 million euros. The maximum penalty under this article is up to 10 years of imprisonment. According to the indictment, persons registered as assistants of MEPs actually worked not for European institutions, but for Le Pen herself or her party. For example, one of the "helpers" - Thierry Legier - was for many years a bodyguard of Jean-Marie Le Pen, and later - of Marine Le Pen. In his work book, he does not mention any activity in the European Parliament. Another figure in the case is Catherine Griset, Le Pen's former daughter-in-law, who was believed to be her secretary. According to the investigation, during the year she actually spent only one and a half working days in the European Parliament, explaining this by the fact that she always entered the building together with Le Pen and did not use a personal card. The prosecutor's office believes that Marine Le Pen developed a scheme started by her father in order to use the funds intended for the salaries of assistants for the needs of the party. Le Pen herself denies the guilt. She claims that the assistants were not attached to specific deputies, but acted as a single team. From the beginning of the process, the politician declared that the accusations were politically motivated, the purpose of which, according to her, is to hinder her participation in the presidential elections.
