Overview

• Marine Le Pen, leader of France's National Rally party, and 27 others, including her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, are set to stand trial over allegations of misappropriating EU funds.
• The charges allege that EU funds intended for parliamentary assistants were used to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016.
• The National Rally party has contested the accusations, stating that there were no irregularities in the employment of parliamentary assistants.
• If convicted, Le Pen could face a 10-year jail sentence, a €1 million fine, and a 10-year ban from holding public office.
• Despite the charges, Le Pen, who ran against Emmanuel Macron in the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections, is expected to present her candidacy again in 2027.