GIL24-TV Marine Le Pen | sentenced to 5 yearsof immediate ineligibility

On March 31, 2025, a French court ruled against Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, for misappropriating EU funds during her time as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) between 2004 and 2017. The case relates to her use of funds allocated to hire parliamentary assistants for local political tasks for her party in France, rather than supporting legislative work in Brussels or Strasbourg, a violation of EU law. The investigation began in 2015 after a European Parliament report revealed suspicions about the employment of approximately 20 assistants under false names or for tasks unrelated to parliamentary work. It was found that these assistants were working at the party’s headquarters in Paris or on internal election campaigns.