The request, which will be considered by judges, comes after a seven-year investigation into allegations that the party, then called the Front National, had used money destined for EU parliamentary assistants to pay staff who were instead working for the party between 2004 and 2016.
EU lawmakers are allocated funds to cover expenses, including to pay their assistants, but are not meant to use them for party expenses. Rules state that assistants paid by the European parliament must work directly on Strasbourg parliamentary matters.
The case involves 11 MEPs, including Le Pen, and her 95-year-old father, the former party leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, as well as 12 parliamentary assistants and four party collaborators. The party itself faces charges of concealing the wrongdoing.
From the start of the long-running investigation, Le Pen and her party have denied wrongdoing. In 2017 she said the allegations amounted to political "persecution".
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin September 23, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin September 23, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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