Up to 10 years in prison: "Putin's girlfriend" Le Pena has appeared before the EU Funds Court

About it reports Bloomberg. The media points out that Le Pen and other party members elected to the European Parliament are accused of shaking EU funds, which have been used for fictitious employment of politicians. Prosecutors believe that Le Pen has forced the EU Parliament to pay four assistants for the period from 2009 to 2016, "without requiring them to fulfill the tasks that meet their duties of parliament assistants.

" Journalists point out that in the system of fictitious employment of political force, the first reports of which appeared in 2015, were found contracts of assistants from 2004 to 2016, confirming that such persons worked only on their party. According to this fictitious principle of employment, the security guard, the secretary, the graphic designer and the head of the device Le Penal.

"Many of them have not been able to describe their daily work, and some have never met with their alleged boss-Jevrodeputa and did not cross the threshold of the Parliament's building [EU]," the text of the Guardian quoted in the prosecution. The media points out that politicians are threatened with a fine of up to 1 million euros, 10 years in prison and a prohibition to occupy public positions for a period of 10 years.

Le Pen and members of her party deny the prosecution, but investigators believe that the politician knew about this scheme, and her political force used EU funds as a "piggy bank" to cover many years of overpowerment. The media notes that this process can be a fatal party for the leader of the National Association Party, as it will prevent it from entering the 2027 presidential election. However, the prolonged appeal process may be delayed until all courts are passed.

We will remind, on September 22, 2023 Le Pen and 23 members of its political force were accused of misuse of European Union funds. The Paris Prosecutor's Office believes that the EU funds did not pay for the remuneration of assistants of the MEP, but to pay members of the political party, which is prohibited by EU legislation. On July 9, the French media BFMTV reported that Leen Pen had been charged with the illegal financing of the 2022 presidential campaign.