On Wednesday, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far-right, acknowledged a “mistake” during an appeals trial hearing in Paris. However, she firmly denied any involvement in a fraudulent scheme intended to misappropriate European Union funds.
Le Pen is seeking to overturn a March 2025 ruling that found her guilty of misusing EU Parliament funds for hiring aides from 2004 to 2016. She conceded that some individuals who were compensated as EU parliamentary aides also worked for her party, known as the National Front, during that period.
“The mistake lies here: there were certainly some aides, on a case-by-case basis, who must have worked either marginally, more substantially, or entirely … for the benefit of the party. And voilà ,” Le Pen told the three-judge panel.
The political landscape in France is currently under scrutiny, as an appeals court is expected to issue its decision before the summer. In March, Marine Le Pen received a five-year prohibition from holding elected office, a two-year house arrest with an electronic monitoring device, and a further two-year suspended sentence for violations of regulations set forth by the European Union.
A ruling from a Paris court identified her as a central figure in “a fraudulent system” utilised by her party to misappropriate EU Parliament funds totalling €2.9 million. This ruling described the embezzlement as “a democratic bypass,” which it deemed unfair to other political competitors.
Should the appeals court determine that she is eligible to run, Le Pen is expected to be a leading contender in the 2027 presidential election. Conversely, if ineligibility is established, she has designated her 30-year-old protégé, Jordan Bardella, as her successor for the presidential candidacy.
During a recent session of intense questioning, Le Pen firmly refuted any claims regarding the existence of “a system” meant to employ party workers using EU funds. She consistently asserted that her party has not engaged in any deliberate illegal actions.
“I wouldn’t say we did everything perfectly. Some criticism can be made about us,” Le Pen said. “But we acted in complete good faith.”
In response to inquiries about the decision-making process behind her hiring practices, Le Pen acknowledged some “ambiguity” in the assignments of certain aides. She admitted that her personal assistant, who was contracted as an EU parliamentary aide, may have procured flight tickets on her behalf in her capacity as party president.
Chief Judge Michèle Agi pointed out that, having served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2004 and as president of her party since 2011, Le Pen was responsible for approving these hiring decisions. The Judge noted, “As a lawyer, you understand that a signature and a contract hold specific legal implications.”
In her defence, Le Pen contended that the European Parliament had not provided her party with guidance indicating that their hiring practices might contravene any regulations at that time.
When asked about the hiring of her bodyguard, Le Pen asserted that she believed the European Parliament accepted the contract for his role as an aide due to the unique nature of his circumstances.
“There are not many MEPs who need to be protected… and one can also think the European Parliament takes that exceptional situation into account. I think we did not committed any irregularities,” she said.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
