The prosecution requested on Wednesday the conviction of Marine Le Pen in the trial regarding the alleged improper use by her party of assistants paid by the European Parliament. The prosecutors in this case, which began on September 30 in Paris, asked for the leader of the French far-right to be convicted for embezzlement of public funds between 2004 and 2016 and for complicity in that crime.
A sentence of five years in prison was requested, three of which would be suspended, a fine of 300,000 euros, and a five-year disqualification from holding public office for Marine Le Pen. The prosecution also requested the conviction of the National Front and 26 other defendants for improperly using European Parliament funds for the benefit of the far-right party through contracts for parliamentary assistants.
Should disqualification be imposed on Le Pen, it is expected that she will appeal the decision, which could suspend the execution of the sentence until a final ruling is made. However, the prosecution asked for the disqualification from public office to be executed immediately for all defendants, which would pose an obstacle to Le Pen's political ambitions.
In her response to the charges, Marine Le Pen denounced the supposed intention of the prosecution to prevent her from running in the 2027 presidential elections and to deprive the French people of freely choosing their representatives. The far-right leader stated that she hopes the court will not heed the demands of the public prosecutor and will consider the arguments presented during the trial, which will continue over the next two weeks with defense pleas.
The prosecution emphasized the unprecedented nature of the facts in this case, describing them as organized, systematic, and detrimental to democratic transparency. According to the prosecutor, the National Front implemented a system to benefit the party during a time of financial difficulties and to allow a comfortable standard of living for its leaders. Damages totaling 3.7 million euros were claimed.
It is deemed necessary to provide "an exemplary response" to Marine Le Pen and the other defendants, highlighting the seriousness and duration of the actions that affected the rules of democratic engagement and political transparency.
