Le Pen trial update: far-right leader denounces ‘preconceived ideas’
The head of the Rassemblement National denies charges relating to the misuse of European parliamentary funds. She says the case was wrongly seeing everything as ‘suspect’
Marine Le Pen has said ‘preconceived ideas’ had been ‘fabricated by the prosecution’
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Head of far-right political party le Rassemblement National, Marine Le Pen, has denounced the current court case into the party as seeing everything as “suspect”, and being tainted by “preconceived ideas”.
Ms Le Pen also questioned the leadership of the European Parliament.
The leader was being heard for the first since the opening of the trial at the Paris Criminal Court on September 3. The court is investigating the alleged fictitious employment of MEPs' parliamentary assistants, and misuse of public funds.
Read also: Marine Le Pen’s trial for misuse of EU funds starts in Paris
‘Everything seen as suspect’
Ms Le Pen was called to speak on October 2 as a representative of the political party, but not as a defendant.
“I am surprised that everything is [being seen as] suspect in this case," she said. “The fact that the parliamentary assistants are also party members? ‘That's suspicious.’ But no, it is logical. The fact that the party is in financial difficulty? ‘Suspicious.’ But which party isn't?
“The management of a political party is complicated, and I hope to explain this to you over the next two months,” she added.
‘Misappropriation and complicity’
Nine former Rassemblement National MEPs - including Marine Le Pen - are standing trial in the case, alongside 12 former parliamentary assistants and four party employees.
The defendants are charged with misappropriation of public funds, and concealment or complicity in this offence.
The European Parliament alleges that Ms Le Pen syphoned away up to €3.5 million between 2009 to 2016 in the form of expenses payments made for parliamentary aides, who allegedly worked for the Rassemblement National (RN) rather than the parliament.
In particular, Thierry Légier, the former bodyguard of Jean-Marie Le Pen and an RN employee, was allegedly paid €7,237 a month by the European Parliament as an aide.
If found guilty, the accused could face:
The latter punishment could block Marine Le Pen's ambitions to run for President for 2027.
‘Preconceived, fabricated ideas’
Ms Le Pen has denied all charges.
“Political activity is inseparable from the parliamentary mandate,” she said. “We are not civil servants, we are elected representatives of the people.”
While on the stand, the former presidential candidate also claimed that there were a “lot of preconceived ideas in this case”.
“I have the impression that [these ideas] have been fabricated by the prosecution, the European Parliament,” she said.
She added that she believed the RN was seen as “the bête noire” of Europe, and said the case had “put us in a tunnel rather like a rodent, a tunnel from which we can only get out by following the tunnel”.
The trial is the second in as many months for Ms Le Pen, who recently lost an appeal against a ruling that she defamed a humanitarian association in 2022. She was ordered to pay €500 in damages.
This current trial will run in Paris until November 27.
