France seeks trial for Le Pen's far-right party
Paris prosecutors say they are seeking to put far-right leader Marine Le Pen and 26 associates on trial over claims they used EU funds to finance party activities in France.
The fake jobs inquiry began in 2015 and hung over Le Pen as she sought the French presidency in 2017 and 2022, losing out both times to centrist Emmanuel Macron.
She and the others have been charged with embezzlement of public funds and collusion, accused of using parliamentary funds to pay for assistants who in fact worked for her National Rally party, formerly called the National Front.
The charges carry sentences of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to double the alleged funds embezzled.
If convicted, the court could also declare Le Pen ineligible for office for up to 10 years – threatening her plan to make a fourth run for the French presidency in 2027.