Far‑right leader Marine Le Pen found guilty of embezzlement
A Paris court on Monday found French far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling public funds in a case involving the fictitious employment of MEP assistants.
The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and eight Members of the European Parliament were found guilty of public funds embezzlement. Detailed sentences are not known at this time.
Twelve accused assistants were also found guilty of accepting stolen public funds. The court estimated that the total damage amounted to €2.9 ($3.1) million.
Investigators accused Le Pen of illegally using European subsidies from 2004 to 2016—when she was an MEP—by employing assistants on fictitious contracts. Instead of working in Strasbourg, they worked for Le Pen's National Rally party (then the National Front). Prosecutors alleged that €7 ($7.6) million was used this way.
Marine Le Pen and her supporters rejected these accusations, claiming the case is politically motivated. The court also found eight co-accused with Le Pen guilty.
