EU Parliament seeks $3.74M in damages from National Rally after Le Pen's conviction for corruption

ISTANBUL

The European Parliament is seeking €3.5 million (about $3.74 million) in damages from France's far-right National Rally (RN) party, following its leader Marine Le Pen's conviction for embezzling EU funds, the French broadcaster BFMTV reported on Tuesday.

The parliament's compensation request comes after Le Pen, one of the front-runners in France's 2027 presidential election, was convicted of misappropriating EU funds.

The €3.5 million figure reportedly corresponds to the total amount paid to assistants of RN Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) over the years.

Le Pen appeals removal from local council post

Le Pen, who was convicted on March 31 for corruption, was disqualified from her position as a Pas-de-Calais departmental councilor on April 18.

On Monday, the far-right politician filed an appeal with the Lille Administrative Court to challenge her removal from the council.

She was elected to the Pas-de-Calais Departmental Council in 2021.

The NR leader was found guilty of misusing European Parliament funds to pay party staff for non-parliamentary work.

She was banned from politics for five years and sentenced to four years in prison—two of which are suspended and two to be served under electronic surveillance—along with a €100,000 fine.

Le Pen has vowed to appeal the verdict.