Le Pen says party in mortal danger after funds seized
◗ Two investigating judges seized the party’s subsidies to ensure the RN could pay up if ordered by a court in due course to repay seven million euros to the European Parliament Paris, July 9: France’s farright National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said her cash- strapped party was in mortal danger on Monday after judges seized two million euros in subsidies as part of an illicit funding inquiry.
Ms Le Pen, who was runner- up in last year’s presidential election behind Emmanuel Macron, said the move was a “death sentence” for the party formerly known as the National Front and accused the judiciary of a plot to destroy it.
She and other National Rally lawmakers are accused of using public funds earmarked for parliamentary assistants when they were European Parliament MPs to pay for France- based staff.
Two investigating judges seized the party’s subsidies to ensure the RN could pay up if ordered by a court in due course to repay seven million euros to the European Parliament.
Ms Le Pen said that without the subsidies the RN would be unable to pay salaries in August and called on “all those who fight for democracy” to stand up for the party.
Urging the French not to allow the country to slide into “dictatorship”, the 49- year- old trained lawyer, who has struggled to recover from her election defeat, launched an emergency fund- raising drive.
Several leading politicians came to her defence — a rare show of solidarity with a party long viewed as untouchable.