The European Parliament is demanding over €300,000 from Jean-Marie Le Pen for improperly claimed expenses during his tenure as an MEP, sources revealed to AFP on Monday.
The former far-right leader has challenged this decision at the European Union’s General Court, according to his lawyer, François Wagner.
In a decision dated 8 July, which has not been made public, the Secretary-General of the European Parliament requested €303,200.99 from Le Pen.
The issue revolves around the misuse of funds under the European Parliament’s “budget line 400”, intended to cover “administrative and operational expenses of political groups and non-attached Members’ offices” and “political and information-related activities within the EU.”
The regulations state that these funds must not be used to finance any European, national, regional, or local election campaigns or for purchasing real estate or vehicles.
Between 2009 and 2018, Le Pen was improperly reimbursed for expenses such as newsletters, pens, business cards, ties, umbrellas, kitchen scales, desk clocks, smart bracelets, virtual reality glasses, and 129 bottles of wine, according to a report by the European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf).
Olaf found that many newsletters were simply "copy-pastes" of publicly accessible texts and were overpriced "compared to the actual work done to produce them," as per excerpts from the report published by Mediapart in March 2022.
Contacted by AFP, the European Parliament stated that “the administration of the Parliament is obliged, when it receives serious indications that funds have been improperly paid, to verify compliance with the applicable financial administrative rules, request clarifications from the concerned MEP, and recover improperly paid funds if no proof of legitimate expenses is provided.”
"This does not replace any judicial procedures or investigations," the institution added.
