RN trial: prosecutor’s office demands ineligibility and five years’ imprisonment for Marine Le Pen

On November 13, the Paris public prosecutor’s office demanded a severe sentence for Marine Le Pen, president of the Rassemblement National deputies, in connection with the parliamentary assistants affair. Accused of misappropriating European funds for her party, Marine Le Pen maintained her innocence throughout the hearing, as did the 26 other defendants.

The public prosecutor requested that the sentence of ineligibility be carried out immediately, which would mean that she would be unable to stand for election, even in the event of an appeal against the judgment. In addition, he requested a five-year prison sentence, including two years’ imprisonment with possibility of conversion, as well as a fine of 300,000 euros. Marine Le Pen faces up to ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of one million euros, not to mention the threat of ten years’ ineligibility, which could seriously hamper her political ambitions, particularly for the 2027 presidential election.

The system of fictitious jobs

The trial, which opened on September 30, concerns suspicions of fictitious employment in connection with the financing of European parliamentary assistants. The prosecution claims that a “centralized system” was set up to divert part of the funds allocated to the MEPs’ allowances, i.e. around 21,000 euros per month. This money would in fact have been used to pay people working for the party, including bodyguards, graphic designers and secretaries, and not parliamentary assistants, as required by European regulations.

Prosecutors stressed that the legal proceedings followed a meticulous investigation, rejecting the idea of a “political attack” on the RN. Despite Marine Le Pen’s staunch defense, accumulated evidence, including testimonies and e-mails, cast doubt on the reality of the jobs allegedly held by the parliamentary assistants.

A tense trial

On Wednesday, a visibly affected Marine Le Pen listened attentively to the prosecutor’s closing arguments, denouncing the proceedings as “more than a little shaky”. The trial resumes next Monday with the defense case, which will last two weeks. The tension remains palpable, and the stakes of this trial go far beyond the simple guilt of the defendants.