The European Parliament intends to recover the amounts unlawfully paid from French presidential candidate and former MEP Marine Le Pen. A spokesman told Agence France-Presse. Le Pen is accused in a report by the European anti-fraud body, Olaf, of embezzling 137,000 euros of European funds.
Marine Le Pen sat in the European Parliament from 2004 to 2017 for the far-right National Front, which is now back in the National Rally. During that period, she and three other former members of the European Parliament – including her father Jean-Marie Le Pen and ex-partner Louis Eliot – are said to have used the resources made available by Parliament to collaborators for national political purposes, personal expenses and services to businesses closely associated with the FN or with Europe of Freedom and Nations, the right-wing populist faction in the European Parliament. According to the European anti-fraud body, Olaf, it is over €600,000 in total, of which €137,000 is by Marine Le Pen.
According to the European Parliament, a total of 617,000 euros was incorrectly paid. It appears that the money will be recovered from those involved in the coming weeks.
Marine Le Pen will face incumbent President Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the French presidential elections within a week. And the delegation accompanying it denies these allegations.
