The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched investigations into a possible fraud, following a complaint targeting media training sessions that the National Rally (RN) allegedly funded with European allowances benefiting Jordan Bardella, particularly during the 2022 French presidential campaign.
The complaint was filed in Paris in December by the AC!! Anti-Corruption association and then transferred by the national financial prosecutor’s office (PNF) to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office for “assessment.” The National Rally “denied” the accusations on Thursday. “These ‘media training’ services were carried out by this provider in accordance with European Parliament rules, validated by European Parliament services, on European topics, with several RN delegation MEPs for the 2019-2024 term, including Jordan Bardella,” the party stated in a press release.
With European funds at stake, the PNF transferred the complaint for “assessment” to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. “After a verification phase, an investigation was opened for suspicion of fraud against European Union funds,” a source close to the case told AFP on Thursday. Contacted, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, based in Luxembourg, declined to confirm or comment. “The European Public Prosecutor’s Office’s rule is not to comment on ongoing investigations,” a spokesperson said. The association suspects the RN of using European funds to train its troops, including current president Jordan Bardella, to address the media during the 2022 French presidential election campaign.
The trainer requested by Jordan Bardella
MEP Jordan Bardella was then the interim president of the far-right party, actively involved in Marine Le Pen’s campaign. “The funds held by National Rally members in their capacity as MEPs” would have been used “for foreign purposes” according to the complaint seen by AFP. The media training instructor was hired to “prepare the European National Rally MEPs for media exercise” and was “paid by the European Parliament from the budget allocated to European elected officials,” emphasized the association.
The trainer explained to Canard Enchaîné that he was directly asked by Jordan Bardella and responded to a purely formal call for tender. “European money is also French taxpayers’ money. The RN used European funds for its political party during Marine Le Pen’s time. It continues during Bardella’s time. These recurrent misappropriations of public money demonstrate a deeply rooted corruption system within the RN,” commented AC!! Anti-Corruption’s lawyer, Me Jérôme Karsenti, who hopes for a “rapid” investigation.
