Right-wing populist Marine Le Pen is once again threatened by adversity. A lawsuit by her late father, Jean-Marie, against the European Parliament's six-figure claims has failed before the General Court of the European Union. If the ruling becomes final, the heirs of the founder of the National Front will have to pay the European Parliament around €300,000. Jean-Marie Le Pen sat in Parliament from 1984 to 2019.
According to French media, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) had determined that the far-right politician had been reimbursed for the costs of newsletters, pens, business cards, ties, umbrellas, kitchen scales, table clocks, network bracelets, virtual reality headsets, and even 129 bottles of wine—incorrectly, based on a decision by the parliamentary administration.
Specifically, the years involved were from 2009 to 2018. In the lawsuit filed before her death, Le Pen complained that the recovery violated the principles of legal certainty and the protection of legitimate expectations, and infringed the right to a fair trial. The court rejected it. €330,000 has already been transferred to Parliament. The current verdict is part of a series of proceedings and decisions against Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter Marine.
The founder of the far-right National Front (now Rassemblement National, RN) failed in 2018 with a claim before the EU Court to claim €320,000. The European Parliament has received €330,000 from RN politician Marine Le Pen, and according to a report by French outlet Mediapart, another recovery procedure for €181,000 is underway. Furthermore, at the end of March, a Paris criminal court convicted Marine Le Pen, her party, and other party leaders of misusing EU funds and fined her €100,000. The politician has appealed this ruling.
