The European Parliament wants back the funds that Le Penová should have embezzled – SME.sk

The investigation has been ongoing since 2016. BRUSSELS. The European Parliament announced on Sunday that it would try to get back money that was supposed to be embezzled by French far-right politician Marine Le Pen when she was its member. The French news agency Mediapart reported on Saturday that the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) had accused Le Pen and three other former MEPs, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, her former partner Louis Aliot and Bruno Gollnisch, former vice-president of the National Front, later renamed the National Assembly, because of the misuse of European Parliament funds. A total of 617,000 euros was to be wrongly paid. OLAF’s investigation has been under way since 2016. Le Pen was questioned in March 2021, said her lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut. He added that his client reserves the right to take legal action against former assistants or service providers who may have embezzled funds or made other mistakes without her knowledge. From Bosselut’s point of view, OLAF is not independent. In addition, the lawyer criticized the timing of the release of information shortly before the second round of the presidential election, which will take place on April 24. Le Pen has been facing further investigations since 2017 on suspicions of employing fictitious assistants in the European Parliament.