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3h ago

French Authorities Raid National Rally Headquarters in Campaign Finance Investigation

Investigators seized emails and documents during a probe of alleged illegal loans, invoice fraud, ties to a recent EU investigation.

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PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 19: French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) leader and Member of Parliament Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella speak to the media after observing a minute of silence for a murdered 12-year-old schoolgirl, named Lola, whose body was discovered in a trunk in the 19th district, in Paris, on October 20, 2022 in Paris, France. The brutalised body of the victim, identified only as "Lola" under French law, was found in a plastic box after going missing in northeast Paris last week. A 24-year-old woman from Algeria was quickly identified as the main suspect and detained. Police have determined she had a history of psychiatric disorders. (Photo by Antoine Gyori/Corbis via Getty Images)
French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party President and lead MEP Jordan Bardella looks on during a meeting with French employers' association Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF) gathering party and coalition leaders ahead of legislative elections, in Paris on June 20, 2024.
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Overview

  • Police from the Financial Brigade and two investigating judges conducted the raid early July 9, searching RN headquarters as well as related service-provider offices and executives’ homes.
  • The judicial inquiry opened in July 2024 is examining whether the party used illegal loans and inflated or forged invoices to fund its 2022 and 2024 election campaigns.
  • No individuals or legal entities have been charged to date and Paris prosecutors say the investigation remains ongoing.
  • RN president Jordan Bardella denounced the operation on X as a politically motivated harassment campaign and a serious attack on pluralism.
  • On July 8, EU financial prosecutors launched a separate inquiry into the alleged misuse of €4.3 million by the defunct Identity & Democracy group, which included RN MEPs.