Paris prosecutors are studying a report by the European Union’s fraud service accusing France’s far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and other members of her nationalist party of misappropriating public funds while serving in the European Parliament. The report was unveiled by the French investigative news site Mediapart a few days before Le Pen faced incumbent President Emanuel Macron in a run-off election on Sunday that could determine the future direction of Europe. Le Pen’s National Rally seeks to reduce EU powers. Lepen denied any wrongdoing, dismissing the report as an “abnormal game of the European Union a few days before the second round” of the election. Speaking at a campaign stop in Normandy on Monday, he said: “I’m used to it and I do not think the French will accept it.” A similar EU fraud investigation was uncovered ahead of the 2017 French presidential election, which Le Pen lost to Macron. Preliminary charges have been filed in Le Pen against French investigators in the case, which is still ongoing. Macron, a pro-EU centrist, leads Le Pen in opinion polls ahead of Sunday’s vote, though the race is tighter than it was in 2017. The EU fraud service, OLAF, submitted its latest report last month to the Paris prosecutor’s office, which is “in the process of analyzing it”, the prosecutor’s office said on Monday. No formal investigation has been launched yet, and no further details have been released. According to Mediapart, the OLAF report found that Le Pen, her father and party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, and other party members who served in the European Parliament used € 617,000 in public money for “fictitious” reasons, mainly for their own benefit. of companies close to the party. The fraud office is said to be demanding a refund and possible allegations of fraud and embezzlement. OLAF accused the party members of “serious violations” and said that the “inappropriate behavior” of the members of the National Coalition – formerly known as the National Front – “endangered the reputation of the Union institutions”, according to Mediapart. OLAF did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday, a holiday in Belgium and several European countries. This is not the first time that Le Pen has been accused of embezzling EU funds. payroll of the European Parliament for the political activity of the party. Other French political parties have faced similar charges. Le Pen, who served in the European Parliament from 2004-2017, smiled for a selfie as she met hundreds of voters Monday in Saint-Pierre-en-Auge, Normandy. A small group of Macron supporters came up with posters urging voters to prevent the far right from ruling France. She and Macron face a critical debate Wednesday. The Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
