Investigation into illegal financing of Marine Le Pen's presidential campaign in 2022

Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff Agence France-Presse Marine Le Pen, upon her arrival at the headquarters of the National Rally, Monday, in Paris.

France Media Agency in Paris

Published yesterday at 8:07 a.m. Updated yesterday at 10:43 p.m.

• Europe

The 2022 presidential campaign of Marine Le Pen (National Rally, far right) in France is the subject of an investigation into suspicions of illegal financing, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Tuesday, confirming information from BFMTV television.

After a preliminary investigation, an investigation was opened on July 2 for loan from a legal entity to a candidate in the electoral campaign, acceptance by a candidate in the campaign of loan of 'a legal person, misappropriation of property by persons exercising a public function, fraud committed to the detriment of a public person, forgery and use of forgery, detailed the prosecution.

The commission responsible for controlling the regularity of candidates' expenses, which are capped and part of which is reimbursed by the State, sent a report to the Paris prosecutor's office in 2023.

< p>The investigations, entrusted to the financial brigade of the Parisian judicial police, “are therefore now continuing under the direction of an investigating magistrate”, added the public prosecutor.

No details were given on the nature of the suspicions.

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In mid-December 2022, the national commission for campaign accounts and political financing (CNCCFP) had withdrawn the “flocking and unflocking” expenses of twelve cars rented as part of the campaign of the leader of the National Rally (RN) , for an amount of 316,182 euros.

She considered that the use of this type of display constituted an irregular expenditure.

Marine Le Pen had invested nearly 11.5 million euros in her 2022 presidential campaign, the third. She was beaten in the second round by Emmanuel Macron.

In 2017, she had already seen 873,576 euros of her expenses reversed by the Commission, made up of 95% of loans contracted with the National Front (FN, now RN) and the micro-party of his father Jean-Marie Le Pen.

In June, the Court of Cassation definitively validated the conviction of the RN for overcharging for campaign kits, used by frontist candidates during the 2012 legislative elections and reimbursed by the State.

Marine Le Pen, re-elected deputy in the first round of the early legislative elections on June 30 in her stronghold of Hénin-Beaumont in the north of France, must also be judged with 24 other people and the RN from of September 30 for embezzlement of European funds linked to the remuneration of MEP assistants between 2004 and 2016.