Marine Le Pen to face judges in embezzlement trial

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and 25 members of her National Rally party will answer questions from judges at a court in Paris on Monday in an ongoing, high-stakes trial that has the potential to impact Le Pen’s planned presidential bid.

Le Pen and her party have been accused of embezzling European Parliament funds in the trial which opened last month.

The far-right leader has denied any wrongdoing against allegations that the National Rally’s top officials knowingly used money intended for EU parliamentary aides to instead pay staff who worked for the party between 2004 and 2016.

Le Pen is set to answer questions starting Monday from the court over the use of EU money to pay her bodyguard, her chief of staff and two other party aides.

She has denied the allegations, saying that she would present “solid arguments” that she and her party, “did not violate any political and regulatory rules of the European Parliament.”

A guilty verdict would find Le Pen in violation of the European Union’s regulations, with Le Pen and her party members facing up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to €1 million.

Additional penalties could be the loss of the right to run for office, which would directly impact Le Pen’s planned presidential bid after the end of French President Emmanuel Macron’s term.

Recent polls indicate that Le Pen is the most popular presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

Two other National Rally officials, including the party’s historic leader, Le Pen’s father Jean-Marie, have faced similar accusations but have been exempted from prosecution on health grounds.

The trial is scheduled to last until Nov. 27.