Latest news with #embezzling
STV News
7 days ago
- Business
- STV News
Woman jailed for defrauding firms out of £500,000 ordered to repay £80,000
A woman jailed for defrauding two construction companies out of more than £500,000 has been ordered to pay back more than £80,000. Stephanni Houston from Ayr was sentenced to 38 months in prison in November 2023 for embezzling over £516,000 from two construction companies over four years. At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on May 28, the court made a confiscation order in the sum of £81,589.86 and recorded that the benefit of criminal conduct was £516,268.98. The 41-year-old, also known as Stephanni Bryden, was convicted at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court after she admitted embezzling £253,281.30 while working as an office administrator at Kelburn Construction in Kilmarnock from February 2017 to January 2019. Months later, she started embezzling £262,987.68 while working as a bookkeeper for WM Donnelly and Co Ltd in East Kilbride, between May 2019 and March 2021. A compensation order in the sum of £41,610.83 was awarded to WM Donnelly and Co Ltd. A second compensation order in the sum of £39,979.03, was awarded to Kelburn Construction. Sineidin Corrins, deputy Procurator Fiscal for serious casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: 'This confiscation underscores the fact that prosecution of those involved in financial crime does not stop at criminal conviction and sentencing. 'Even after that conviction was secured, the Crown pursued Proceeds of Crime action to ensure the funds Stephanni Houston obtained illegally were confiscated. 'Confiscation orders have ongoing financial consequences, meaning we can seek to recover further assets from this individual in the future to reflect the full amount.' At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on May 28, 2025, she was made subject of a confiscation order under Proceeds of Crime legislation in the sum of £81,589.86. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
MTV Lebanon
04-04-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Trump Offers Support to French Far-Right Leader Le Pen Following Her Conviction
U.S. President Donald Trump offered support to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Thursday after a Paris court earlier this week convicted her and two dozen figures from her National Rally (RN) party of embezzling European Union funds. A judge handed Le Pen an immediate five-year ban on running for office that will bar her from the 2027 presidential election unless she can get the ruling overturned on appeal beforehand. The judge is now under police protection after facing death threats, a source told Reuters on Wednesday. Le Pen, RN allies and her supporters accused the trial judges of interfering in democracy. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told lawmakers on Tuesday that he "unconditionally supported" the judiciary. In a Truth Social post late on Thursday, Trump called the case against Le Pen a "Witch Hunt" while praising the far-right leader. "She suffered losses, but kept on going, and now, just before what would be a Big Victory, they get her on a minor charge that she probably knew nothing about – Sounds like a 'bookkeeping' error to me," Trump said in his post. Rights advocates have drawn comparisons over the years between Le Pen and Trump over their anti-immigration views and charged rhetoric against minorities. The French court's ruling was a setback for Le Pen, 56. She was a front-runner in polls for France's 2027 contest until her conviction. Trump compared Le Pen's situation to his own. Trump was indicted over covering up a hush money payment to a porn star, over attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election that he lost and over retention of classified documents after his first term ended. He was convicted in the hush money case. He denied wrongdoing in all cases that he called politically motivated. Federal charges against him were dropped following his 2024 election win. "It is all so bad for France," Trump said in his post.
NBC News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Trump says France should 'free' Marine Le Pen as he offers support to far-right leader
U.S. President Donald Trump offered support to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Thursday after a Paris court earlier this week convicted her and two dozen figures from her National Rally (RN) party of embezzling European Union funds. A judge handed Le Pen an immediate five-year ban on running for office that will bar her from the 2027 presidential election unless she can get the ruling overturned on appeal beforehand. The judge is now under police protection after facing death threats, a source told Reuters on Wednesday. Le Pen, RN allies and her supporters accused the trial judges of interfering in democracy. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told lawmakers on Tuesday that he 'unconditionally supported' the judiciary. In a Truth Social post late on Thursday, Trump called the case against Le Pen a 'Witch Hunt' while praising the far-right leader. 'She suffered losses, but kept on going, and now, just before what would be a Big Victory, they get her on a minor charge that she probably knew nothing about — Sounds like a 'bookkeeping' error to me,' Trump said in his post. Rights advocates have drawn comparisons over the years between Le Pen and Trump over their anti-immigration views and charged rhetoric against minorities. The French court's ruling was a setback for Le Pen, 56. She was a front-runner in polls for France's 2027 contest until her conviction. Trump compared Le Pen's situation to his own. Trump was indicted over covering up a hush money payment to a porn star, over attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election that he lost and over retention of classified documents after his first term ended. He was convicted in the hush money case. He denied wrongdoing in all cases that he called politically motivated. Federal charges against him were dropped following his 2024 election win. 'It is all so bad for France,' Trump said in his post.
The Guardian
01-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Marine Le Pen ban is ‘political and partisan', says French far-right leader
The president of France's far-right National Rally (RN) party has described a court's decision to ban Marine Le Pen from public office for five years, wrecking her hopes of becoming president in 2027, as 'disproportionate, political and partisan'. Jordan Bardella said the punishment for Le Pen's conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds would deprive millions of French voters of their democratic right to put her in the Elysée Palace. Le Pen has said she will appeal against the ruling, which if successful would lead to a new trial that she hopes will overturn the conviction and public office ban in time to campaign for the presidency. Bardella, who is seen as the RN's 'Plan B' if she fails, said he refused to consider this scenario and pledged his loyalty to Le Pen. 'Marine Le Pen has given me everything in politics,' he said. 'It is she who has given me the opportunity to be before you today. The least I can do is to fight with her to the end. We work together, hand in hand and in total confidence. I have total loyalty. Those who think they have killed off the RN and put us out of the game will not succeed.' Hours after the verdict that threw French politics into turmoil on Monday the RN came out fighting with a communication campaign on French television. Bardella, 29, was speaking a day after a Paris court found Le Pen and 24 others from RN, including party officials, employees, MEPs and assistants, guilty of embezzling millions in European Parliament funds as part of a fake jobs scam. The trial last November heard how the party took money for EU parliamentary assistants but spent it paying staff in France. None of the accused benefited personally from the embezzlement. Le Pen, 56, was also given a four-year prison term, two years suspended and two to be served wearing an electronic bracelet. The sentence will be postponed until the appeal process is exhausted, but the five-year ban on standing for public office takes immediate effect. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion After the verdict, Le Pen went on television to denounce what she said was the court's 'political decision' and vowed to 'pursue all legal avenues' to be able to stand in 2027. On Tuesday morning, Bardella gave a long live interview with French opinion channel CNews dismissing the embezzlement charges as 'an administrative disagreement with the EU'. He described Le Pen's sentence as 'brutal' and a travesty against her and the RN, the single largest party in the French Assemblée Nationale. 'If you are in politics, you are not above the law, but neither are you below it,' he said. 'As long as she can bring the RN to power everything will be done to stop us getting there,' Bardella said. 'The place to fight adversaries is on political not legal ground. I say to those rejoicing in this decision: today it's us, tomorrow it will be you.' Bardella added that he hoped the appeal court hearing could be held in time to correct the 'error' of the lower court in time for Le Pen to stand in 2027 and said RN voters were being ignored as 'second-class' citizens. He called for 'peaceful, democratic protests' across the country and said the party would be launching a leafletting campaign this weekend. 'We are not fashos, racists or far right. We are reasonable people who are patriotic, who love our country and we are fighting for the French people. We are fighting to get into power, not to remain in opposition.'
Express Tribune
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Marine Le Pen found guilty of embezzling EU funds,
Listen to article French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been found guilty of embezzling European Union funds and has been banned from holding any public office for five years, according to a ruling from a Paris court on Monday. The court imposed a four-year jail sentence on Le Pen, two of which were suspended. She will serve the remaining two years with an electronic tag rather than in custody. In addition, the National Rally (RN), the party led by Le Pen, was fined 2 million euros ($2.16 million). The charges stemmed from the misuse of over 3 million euros ($3.3 million) in EU funds allocated for staffing costs in the European Parliament. The funds were diverted to pay members of Le Pen's political party, a violation that led to widespread criticism of the far-right leader. The court's ruling has significant political consequences, as it bars Le Pen from participating in upcoming elections, including the 2027 French presidential race, where she was a frontrunner in recent polls. Le Pen's legal team plans to appeal the verdict, with her lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, seeking a hearing before the 2027 election. Le Pen has described the court's decision as politically motivated, claiming that it was an attempt to block her from running in the next election. In an interview with French television channel TF1, she argued that the millions of French citizens who support her cause are outraged by the ruling, which she sees as a violation of the rule of law. Her party and supporters quickly rallied behind her, calling the verdict unjust and politically biased. Jordan Bardella, President of RN, condemned the ruling, stating that French democracy had been 'executed' with the unjust verdict. Le Pen's allies argue that the case is a politically charged effort to undermine her and her party's growing influence in France's political landscape. The court's decision has also drawn international attention, with Russian authorities criticizing the verdict, claiming that European capitals are increasingly violating democratic norms. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini voiced their support for Le Pen, while other far-right leaders, such as Dutch politician Geert Wilders, expressed confidence that Le Pen would win her appeal. In contrast, political figures in France, including former President François Hollande, have defended the French judiciary, emphasizing the importance of respecting its independence. Hollande stated that the rule of law applies to all, regardless of political position. The case has highlighted concerns over the integrity of European Parliament finances, with MEP Daniel Freund pointing out that the case against Le Pen is one of the largest fraud cases in the institution's history. As the appeal process begins, the decision is expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the political dynamics within France, particularly in relation to the upcoming presidential election.
