PARIS, 31 March. Marine Le Pen, the head of the National Unity parliamentary faction, has been sentenced to four years in prison and the immediate loss of her right to vote for five years, according to a Paris court ruling in the case of parliamentary assistants.
Under the ruling, Le Pen will have to wear an electronic bracelet for two of the four years. She was also ordered to pay a fine of €100,000. Because of the immediate disqualification, Le Pen will not be able to run in the 2027 French presidential election, BFMTV television reported.
Le Pen is found guilty of embezzling funds intended for hiring assistants in the European Parliament. In addition, the court convicted eight legislators and twelve parliamentary assistants, with the total amount of these funds estimated at €4 million. However, it noted that the culprits did not steal the money directly for themselves, but rather channeled it for party needs.
The investigation into the embezzlement began in 2014, when the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) demanded that Le Pen repay €339 000. The politician was accused of using European Parliament funds to pay the salaries of her chief of staff, Catherine Grisez, and a security guard, Thierry Legier, who were still employees of her party. According to the investigation, Le Pen allegedly organised a financial scheme in which EU funds were embezzled under the pretext of paying non-existent assistants in the European Parliament.
The head of the National Front parliamentary faction categorically denied the accusations during the trial. Le Pen said the prosecutor's demands were an attempt to break up the party.
TASS/gnews.cz-jav
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