PARIS -- French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been charged with allegedly misusing European Parliament funds relating to the payment of parliamentary aides.

Emmanuel Macron crushes Marine Le Pen to win French presidency

The prosecutor's office said Le Pen was handed preliminary charges on Friday of breach of trust and complicity in breach of trust concerning two of her aides when she served at the European Parliament. She was elected to the French parliament this month so gave up her seat in the European Parliament.

One of the aides in question, Catherine Griset, a top aide at Le Pen's National Front party, was herself charged in February in the case.

In May, Le Pen's "French-first" nationalism saw her beaten resoundingly in a national election by Emmanuel Macron, an unabashedly pro-European former investment banker who is now the country's youngest ever president.</s>Magistrates in France have placed Marine Le Pen under formal investigation.

This comes after preliminary inquiries into allegations that European Union funding had been misused by the leader of the far-right National Front.

The placement under formal investigation was confirmed by Le Pen’s lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut.

He has told reporters he will launch an appeal against the move, describing it as a “violation of the principle of the separation of powers”.

The newly-elected MP was summoned to appear before financial investigators in Paris on Friday afternoon.

Le Pen denies any wrongdoing and laughed off the claims during the recent presidential election campaign.

The National Front leader brushed off the allegations as being politically motivated.

It is alleged that funds were used to pay Le Pen’s national staff.

The inquiry is reported to be investigating alleged “breach of trust”.

Earlier this month the European Parliament lifted Le Pen’s immunity from prosecution in a special vote.

The move was seen as a way for French prosecutors to continue a defamation action against her.

Le Pen is embroiled in legal action following criticism of the centre-right mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi.

He sued Le Pen after she accused him of “being in league” with Islamist militants.

Le Pen lost the presidential election to Emmanuel Macron but recently won a seat in the parliamentary elections.

The National Front leader is also caught up in a case over Tweets of graphic images of executions by ISIL militants.

Le Pen claims all the legal cases being brought against her are for “political reasons”.</s>French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been put under formal investigation – the equivalent in French law of being charged – as part of an inquiry into the alleged misuse of European Union funds to pay parliamentary assistants. 



Le Pen, who is being investigated for breach of trust, has previously denied any wrongdoing in a case that she has said is politically motivated.</s>Prosecutors placed French far-right leader Marine Le Pen under formal investigation on Friday as part of a probe into the alleged misuse of European Union funds to pay parliamentary assistants.

Le Pen, who is being investigated for breach of trust, has previously denied any wrongdoing in a case that she has said is politically motivated.

In a statement, her lawyer said she would launch an appeal against the investigation.

The case relates to an amount of about 5 million euros ($5.71 million).

It was announced Le Pen had been placed under formal investigation after she appeared before judges on Friday. She had been summoned previously, but refused to go during her campaign bid for the French presidency.

The European Parliament believes the money went to National Front employees working for the party in France rather than those working for the party's lawmakers in Brussels.

The formal investigation comes less than two weeks after Le Pen won a seat in the French National Assembly. She is no longer a member of the European Parliament.

Le Pen also faces an investigation into the financing of past election campaigns and a probe into her tweeting of pictures of Islamic State violence.</s>French far-right leader Marine Le Pen charged for alleged misuse of EU funds on parliamentary aides.</s>French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was put under formal investigation on Friday as part of a probe into the alleged misuse of European Union funds to pay parliamentary assistants, a judicial source said.

PARIS: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was put under formal investigation on Friday as part of a probe into the alleged misuse of European Union funds to pay parliamentary assistants, a judicial source said.

Le Pen, who is being investigated for breach of trust, has previously denied any wrongdoing in a case that she has said it politically motivated.</s>French far-right leader, Marine Le Pen was placed under formal investigation on Friday as part of a probe into the alleged misuse of European Union funds to pay parliamentary assistants.

Le Pen, who is being investigated for breach of trust, has previously denied any wrongdoing in a case that she has said is politically motivated.

The European Parliament believes the money went to National Front employees working for the party in France rather than those working for the party’s lawmakers in Brussels. Last February, Le Pen’s chief-of-staff Catherine Griset was placed under formal investigation by a financial court, while her longtime bodyguard Thierry Legier was questioned.

The formal investigation of Le Pen comes less than two weeks after she won a seat in the French National Assembly. She is no longer a member of the European Parliament.</s>French far-Right leader Marine Le Pen has been charged with alleged misuse of millions of euros in European Union funds to pay her Front National party’s parliamentary assistants, her lawyer said.

Ms Le Pen, who last month was beaten in the final round of the presidential election by the centrist Emmanuel Macron, was summoned by investigating magistrates in Paris on Friday and they, "as expected, charged her", lawyer Rodolphe Bosselut said.

He added that his client, who has denied any wrongdoing, planned to appeal the charges of breach of trust and complicity in breach of trust.

The 48-year-old far-Right leader had refused to obey a previous summons by magistrates during the election campaign, saying the case against her was politically motivated and she would only talk to investigators after the election.

On Friday she read a statement to the investigating judges but declined to answer any questions, as she is entitled to under French law, her lawyer said,

The case relates to an amount of about five million euros (£4.3 million).

The European Parliament believes the money went to National Front employees working for the party in France rather than those working for the party's lawmakers in Brussels.

Ms Le Pen is also the subject of probes into the financing of past election campaigns and an inquiry into her tweeting of pictures of Islamic State (Isil) violence.</s>Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's National Front party, has been formally placed under investigation in connection with a corruption scandal, a spokesman for the far-right party told CNN on Friday.

She will appeal against the decision on Monday, National Front press director Alain Vizier said.

In the French criminal justice system, a "formal investigation" is the step before filing charges.

Catherine Griset, Le Pen's chief of staff, was formally charged as part of a probe into the alleged misuse of EU funds in February. Le Pen's bodyguard, Thierry Legier, was also questioned.

The controversy shadowed Le Pen's campaign for the French presidency.</s>French Far Right Leader Marine Le Pen Under Funding Scam Investigation

BALTIMORE, MD (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been accused of the European parliament funding scandal and placed under formal investigation.

Already, the allegations have been passed to French investigators and a case has been opened in the same regard.

The parliament suspects that some $5.4m went to assistants of Ms Le Pen’s National Front (FN) who were actually not working for MEPs but engaged in FN party work in France.

Reacting, Le Pen, 48, has denied any wrongdoing and subsequently alleged that the case was politically motivated.

The alleged fraudulent payments – from 2012 onwards and several others have been traced to her.

The allegations started on April 27, ahead of the second round of voting in the French Presidential election.

She was roundly defeated by Emmanuel Macron, by 66 per cent to 34 per cent. She however later won a seat in the French parliament in the legislative elections.

Ms Le Pen refused to answer questions on the matter during the campaign, still promised to co-operate after the final round of Presidential election voting.

Meanwhile, her lawyer has since confirmed that she had been summoned by magistrates in Paris and “as expected, placed under criminal investigation”.
France's National Front leader Marine Le Pen is under investigation for alleged misuse of European Union funding.