EU Court rules Le Pen family must repay funds unduly received by Jean-Marie Le Pen

Brussels –The Le Pen family will have to return €303,000 to the European Parliament, as it was wrongly received. The EU General Court confirmed this while rejecting the appeal filed by the relatives of the former leader of the French far-right, in a case that has dragged on for nearly ten years. Faced with allegations of misuse of EU funds granted to MEPs, the Luxembourg judges noted that the accused produced “no evidence that the appropriations had been used in accordance with the applicable rules.” As a result, the basis for the accusations was not refuted, and the misappropriation remains. Furthermore, the Court finds that the right to a fair trial “has not been infringed.” 

The affair dates back to the 2009-2014 European parliamentary term, during which Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the Front National (now RN – Rassemblement National), allegedly used money from the European Parliament for personal expenses that were recorded as being related to his work as an MEP. Hence, the demand for restitution, against which Le Pen appealed. After his death on 7 January 2025, the case was brought by his daughters, against whom the Court ruled today (16 July). Following this ruling, an appeal can be made to the Court within two months.

 Another similar case involved the Le Pen family and the party, when in 2017 Marine Le Pen, Jean-Marie’s daughter, was accused of irregular use of funds, along with a demand for repayment, which she refused.