Latest news with #Jean-MarieLePen
UPI
16-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
EU court denies Le Pen heirs' appeal to evade repaying misused funds
July 16 (UPI) -- The General Court of the European Union ruled Wednesday that Jean-Marie Le Pen's daughters remain on the hook for more than $348,000 of his misused expenses. The Court's judgement stated that an appeal by former European Parliament member Jean-Marie Le Pen's daughters was denied because "no evidence of use of the appropriations in accordance with the applicable regulations has been provided." The "appropriations" refers to money allegedly used illegally by Jean-Marie Le Pen during the 2009-2014 European parliamentary term. Le Pen had used the funds under the Parliament's budget line 400, which covers "the administrative and operational expenditure" of parliamentary expenses. However, Le Pen instead purportedly put the funding toward personal expenses and was fined around $371,000 by the European Parliament in 2016, who then started in May of that year to withhold over $8000 monthly from him. Le Pen died in January, and his daughters sought to annul the EU's decision to recover their father's expenses from them, and instead have their debt canceled and paid for by the Parliament. Nonetheless, the court decided that since Le Pen never "demonstrated that the costs for which he had requested to be covered from the appropriations allocated under Parliament's budget line 400 were in accordance with the regulations relating to this budget line," that the money must be recovered. In a press release, the Court said Wednesday that it "holds that the procedure which led the Parliament to adopt the recovery decision and to issue the debit note is not contrary to the principles of legal certainty and the protection of legitimate expectations."
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
EU Court upholds EU Parliament's decision to recover funds from Jean-Marie Le Pen
The EU's General Court upheld on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) a European Parliament (EP) decision requiring the estate of late French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen to repay 303,200 euros ($352,380) for wrongly claimed expenses during his time as a member of the parliament. After Le Pen died in January 2025 aged 96, his daughters Yann and Marie-Caroline and granddaughter Marion continued the legal challenge he had begun in January 2024. Le Pen, who founded the National Front political party that was later renamed as the National Rally (NR) and was a member of the EP from 1984 to 2019, had contested the parliament's demand for repayment, arguing it violated legal certainty, legitimate expectations, and his right to a fair trial. The funds had been charged as official MEP expenses. The Court rejected the claims, affirming that the European Parliament followed due process: Le Pen was properly notified, allowed to respond, and failed to justify the expenses. It also ruled that fair trial rights apply only to judicial, not administrative, proceedings. The National Rally party did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The Star
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
EU Court upholds EU parliament's decision to recover funds from Jean-Marie Le Pen
FILE PHOTO: French far-right National Front (FN) founder Jean-Marie Le Pen delivers a speech during a May Day ceremony in front of the statue of Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) in Paris, France, May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The EU's General Court upheld on Wednesday a European Parliament (EP) decision requiring the estate of late French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen to repay 303,200 euros ($352,380) for wrongly claimed expenses during his time as a member of the parliament. After Le Pen died in January 2025 aged 96, his daughters Yann and Marie-Caroline and granddaughter Marion continued the legal challenge he had begun in January 2024. Le Pen, who founded the National Front political party that was later renamed as the National Rally (NR) and was a member of the EP from 1984 to 2019, had contested the parliament's demand for repayment, arguing it violated legal certainty, legitimate expectations, and his right to a fair trial. The funds had been charged as official MEP expenses. The Court rejected the claims, affirming that the European Parliament followed due process: Le Pen was properly notified, allowed to respond, and failed to justify the expenses. It also ruled that fair trial rights apply only to judicial, not administrative, proceedings. The National Rally party did not immediately reply to a request for comment. ($1 = 0.8604 euros) (Reporting by Charlotte Van CampenhoutEditing by Frances Kerry)
LeMonde
16-07-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
EU court rejects Le Pen heirs' appeal in expenses scandal
A European Union court on Wednesday, July 16, dismissed an appeal brought by French far-right figure Jean-Marie Le Pen 's heirs against a European Parliament decision, which demanded that they repay about €300,000 ($348,000) that the late far-right leader had unduly claimed in expenses. Last year, the EU Parliament accused Le Pen of having improperly invoiced money he had spent on personal matters as parliamentary expenses. A report by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) found that, between 2009 and 2018, Le Pen unduly invoiced items including umbrellas, kitchen scales, desk clocks, smart watches, virtual reality glasses, and 129 wine bottles. Le Pen appealed and, after his death earlier this year, the proceedings were taken up by his daughter Marine Le Pen, who leads France's far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, and her siblings. "The General Court dismisses the action brought by Mr. Le Pen and his heirs," the court, the lower chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union, said in a statement. "The procedure which led the Parliament to adopt the recovery decision and to issue the debit note is not contrary to the principles of legal certainty and the protection of legitimate expectations." The ruling can be appealed. The money involved was incorrectly claimed by Le Pen under the so-called "budget line 400," which is mainly intended to cover European lawmakers' office rental and equipment costs. Parliament subsequently demanded that Le Pen repay €303,201. died in January, aged 96.
Straits Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
EU Court upholds EU parliament's decision to recover funds from Jean-Marie Le Pen
FILE PHOTO: French far-right National Front (FN) founder Jean-Marie Le Pen delivers a speech during a May Day ceremony in front of the statue of Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) in Paris, France, May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo BRUSSELS - The EU's General Court upheld on Wednesday a European Parliament (EP) decision requiring the estate of late French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen to repay 303,200 euros ($352,380) for wrongly claimed expenses during his time as a member of the parliament. After Le Pen died in January 2025 aged 96, his daughters Yann and Marie-Caroline and granddaughter Marion continued the legal challenge he had begun in January 2024. Le Pen, who founded the National Front political party that was later renamed as the National Rally (NR) and was a member of the EP from 1984 to 2019, had contested the parliament's demand for repayment, arguing it violated legal certainty, legitimate expectations, and his right to a fair trial. The funds had been charged as official MEP expenses. The Court rejected the claims, affirming that the European Parliament followed due process: Le Pen was properly notified, allowed to respond, and failed to justify the expenses. It also ruled that fair trial rights apply only to judicial, not administrative, proceedings. The National Rally party did not immediately reply to a request for comment. REUTERS
