France's Le Pen stands trial over alleged misuse of EU funds

Marine Le Pen, the leading figure of France's far-right National Rally (RN) party, went on trial on Sept 30 accused of misappropriating European Union funds and said she was confident she would prove she did nothing wrong.

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Le Pen, the RN itself, and 24 others – party officials, employees, former lawmakers and parliamentary assistants – are accused of using money destined for work at the European Parliament to pay staff who were working for their party, which at the time was called the National Front.

Le Pen and the other accused say the way they used the money was legitimate and that the allegations show too narrow a definition of what a parliamentary assistant does. “I approach this trial with great peace of mind,” Le Pen told reporters as she arrived at the criminal tribunal in Paris.

The trial could potentially be damaging for Le Pen, who, if found guilty, risks being barred from public office for several years for accusations she denies.