On September 30, the Paris Correctional Tribunal began hearings in the case of National Rally leader Marine Le Pen and her party comrades.
They are accused of laundering funds from the European Parliament.
This was reported by MIA "Russia Today" .
What Le Pen is accused of
The leader of the National Rally, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, and 23 other party members are accused of misusing public funds in 2004-2016.
It is alleged that the defendants paid for parliamentary assistants at the expense of the European Parliament, who in reality worked only for the National Rally.
Marine Le Pen is accused, among other things, of creating a centralized system for laundering EP funds. The damage is estimated at 6.8 million euros.
The hearings will be held three times a week until the end of November, with a decision to be made early next year. National Rally founder Jean-Marie Le Pen will not attend the hearings due to health reasons.
Marine Le Pen faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to 1 million euros, and the inability to run for public office for 5-10 years. That is, she may lose the right to participate in the French presidential elections in 2027.
In the snap parliamentary elections held in France this summer, Le Pen's party led after the first round, but ended up third due to a deal between President Emmanuel Macron's Renewal party and a left-wing coalition.
However, the National Rally has significantly increased its number of representatives in parliament. Polls predict Le Pen will lead the 2027 presidential elections.
