Marine Le Pen under investigation over misuse of EU funds

Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Front party, has been placed under formal investigation for the alleged misuse of EU funds to pay parliamentary assistants.

Ms Le Pen is being investigated for breach of trust and complicity in breach of trust, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Friday. In a statement, her lawyer said she would appeal against the investigation.

The European Parliament’s watchdog has alleged that Ms Le Pen used two legislative aides who were on the EU payroll for the party’s political activity in France. French authorities have been investigating the matter, raiding the FN headquarters this year. Ms Le Pen has consistently denied wrongdoing.

The escalation in the investigation followed the resignation this month of four French government ministers over allegations of misusing funds. Three members of the MoDem party, which is aligned with President Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche party, were forced from the government having been accused of using EU funds to pay party workers.

Mr Macron won last month’s presidential election in part owing to his promise to clean up French politics after a series of corruption scandals.

Ms Le Pen had refused to be questioned by French police over the EU affair, saying the inquiry — which came in the middle of her failed presidential election campaign — was politically motivated.

“There is a very big risk of the justice system being manipulated,” she said at the time. “I think that today the justice system is not doing its work with a cool head, impartiality and independently. Everything indicates [that this is] so.”

But she appeared for questioning on Friday after being placed under formal investigation.

Under French law, being put under formal investigation means there is enough evidence that points to a crime. It is a step towards a trial, though investigations are often dropped before going to court.

Ms Le Pen less than two weeks ago won a seat in the French National Assembly for the first time, taking 59 per cent of the votes in Henin-Beaumont in northern France. She gave up her seat in the European Parliament to take her place in the assembly.

Earlier this year, Ms Le Pen refused an order from the European Parliament to repay about €336,000 in funds which the chamber says were used inappropriately in paying the same two aides. She has appealed against this decision as well.

Ms Le Pen made it through to the second round of the presidential election in May, a feat only achieved once before by her party. But she was convincingly defeated in the second round by Mr Macron by 66 per cent to 34 per cent.