Marine Le Pen on Trial: A Farce or an Accepted Reality?
Ah, Paris – the city of love, croissants, and now… legal drama! On November 13, the Paris criminal court was the venue of a performance that could rival any slapstick comedy routine. If there were a prize for the most dramatic courtroom moments, you’d think they were auditioning for the next big hit in the theatre district!
So, what brings the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine Le Pen, into this theatrical saga? The accusation is almost too good to be true: a web of deceit meant to ensure the lucrative paychecks of party pals through the European Parliament. With a demand for 3.7 million euros in damages, it sounds like a plot twist straight from a political drama, doesn’t it?
The Prosecution’s Performance: A Demand for Justice
In a performance worthy of Richard III, the prosecution came forth demanding five years in prison for Le Pen, including two years locked up – unless, of course, she’s given a chance to take it easy and avoid the slammer entirely! Yes, it could be a “flexible” prison sentence which, in real terms, means she could play Monopoly instead of serving time. Meanwhile, the prosecution wants to throw a hefty €300,000 penalty her way, as if she had a bank vault filled with chocolate coins! Who knew politics could get so sticky?
The idea here? To ensure the far-right leader can’t sprout her political ambitions in the run-up to the 2027 presidential election. Now, that’s what I call a plot! But, as prosecutor Nicolas Barret put it, justice doesn’t care about political ambitions. It’s like being told that your dreams of being the next Beyoncé are dashed because you forgot to rehearse.
Le Pen’s Reaction: The Drama Unfolds
Now, would you believe it? Marine Le Pen herself has taken the stand, claiming the prosecution’s moves are a “violent” attack on democracy, as if she’s starring in a courtroom thriller! Apparently, it’s all a conspiracy to strip the French people of their right to vote for their favorite political figures. I can just hear her saying it – “I’m the victim here!” Who needs soap operas when we have real-life courtroom critiques that put even the most talented actors to shame?
Jordan Bardella, the RN president, quickly jumped onto social media to label this as an attack on democracy. Because, let’s face it, if you can’t win the polls, just complain about them. Classic move!
Unexpected Allies: Political Ironies
Oh, and wait for it – in this absurd comedy, we see Gérald Darmanin, from the presidential camp, stepping in to suggest that it’s better to combat Le Pen “at the polls” rather than through the judiciary. I guess the narrative here is far less about right or wrong and more centered on who’s playing the best hand in this political charade. Meanwhile, Nathalie Delattre, Minister responsible for Relations with Parliament, was apparently shocked by the comment. Oh, the drama! The elites versus the people, who will get the last laugh?
The Prosecution’s Charges: The War Machine Unleashed
When the prosecution described the alleged system as a “war machine,” I nearly fell off my chair! They’re likening this to a military operation, all for a little cash cow grazing in an EU pasture. The argument here? That the system put into play – starting all the way back in 2004 to 2016 – was cleverly devised to sidetrack taxpayers’ money into party funds. It sounds juicier than a Netflix binge-watch!
The prosecutors allege this system “systematically diverted” funds, all set up by Le Pen and friends. It’s as if the European Parliament was just a smorgasbord of money and the RN was raiding it like kids in a candy store. They detailed the supposed architecture of this alleged deceit with such fervor, you have to wonder: Where were the architects during this whole fiasco?
The Verdict? A Long Way Off!
The courtroom antics, or should I say the courtroom drama, will carry on until at least November 27 with the defense set to take center stage soon. But hold on to your berets, dear spectators! The court’s decision won’t grace us until early 2025. Who said a political trial couldn’t last longer than Game of Thrones?
At the end of the day, whether Marine Le Pen is guilty or not, one thing is clear – this spectacle is too entertaining to be reality. Here’s hoping all of France is getting their popcorn ready for the next thrilling episode!
On Wednesday, November 13, requisitions occupied the 11th room of the Paris criminal court all day, almost a month and a half after the opening of the trial of the RN parliamentary assistants. The daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen is accused, as a former MEP and former president of the National Front (which became the National Rally in 2018), of having participated in the establishment of a system intended to ensure the remuneration of certain party collaborators by the European Parliament. For its part, the institution is claiming 3.7 million euros in damages.
The prosecution demanded five years in prison on Wednesday in Paris, including two years in prison, and five years of ineligibility against Marine Le Pen. The requested prison sentence is flexible, which means that the leader of the far-right party would not go to prison. But it could prevent him from running in the 2027 presidential election: the prosecution has in fact demanded that the penalty of ineligibility be accompanied by provisional execution, that is to say that it applies immediately, even if called.
“The desire of the prosecution is to deprive the French of the ability to vote for those they want”
Such a sentence “would prohibit the defendants from running in future local or national elections,” said prosecutor Nicolas Barret in front of the three-time presidential candidate sitting in the front row of the defendants. But “we are here in a judicial forum and the law applies to everyone”, justice cannot be accountable for the political “ambitions” of each person, he justified.
The prosecution also demanded a fine of 300,000 euros for Marine Le Pen, as well as a fine of 4.3 million euros, including 2 million euros for the National Rally.
Leaving the courtroom, Marine Le Pen denounced the “violence” and “excess” of the requisitions. “I think that the desire of the prosecution is to deprive the French of the ability to vote for those they want” and to “ruin the party”, she reacted.
Unexpected support from Gérald Darmanin
The president of the RN Jordan Bardella immediately reacted on X by describing the requisitions of the prosecution as an “attack on democracy”. He denounces “relentlessness” against Ms. Le Pen.
In the presidential camp, Gérald Darmanin considered it preferable to fight Madame Le Pen “at the polls”. “If the court judges that she must be condemned, she cannot be so electorally, without the expression of the People,” he declared on the “elites” and the vast majority of our fellow citizens.”
“The law applies to everyone,” replied the Minister responsible for Relations with Parliament Nathalie Delattre on Public Senate, who found the comment of the former Minister of the Interior “shocking”.
“Even in France, they are trying by all means to stop the popular will and the democratic wind of change,” added, also on
The prosecution had recalled in its requisitions that according to the law, the five years of ineligibility were “mandatory unless expressly motivated by the court”. Indeed, the member for Pas-de-Calais falls under the law of December 10, 2016 “for confidence in political life”, known as Sapin II, which came into force on December 11, 2016, and which provides for penalties of Mandatory ineligibility for five years in the event of conviction.
“War machine”
The prosecution brought a severe charge against the defendants. Because the “system” put in place, which was “strengthened” with the arrival of Marine Le Pen at the head of the party in 2011, is “unprecedented” in terms of its duration, the “amount” of embezzlements (4.5 millions) and its “organized, systematized character”.
The defendants “have made and intended to continue to make the European Parliament, to put it prosaically, their cash cow”, underlined prosecutor Louise Neyton. “We saw a real war machine systematically diverting the amount of envelopes down to the last crumb.”
A “partisan enrichment” which allowed the National Rally to “finance its growth, its influence, its propaganda for years”. But who was also “at the service” of the “personal ambition” of its leaders, “to carry their political careers at the expense of the taxpayer”, she added. Without “the shadow of a questioning” of the defendants at the hearing: “They do not see, they do not want to see, they do not care about the illegality of their actions,” continued the magistrate.
« Fiction alternative »
The public prosecutor’s office requires in particular 18 months in prison, six months of which are closed with three years of ineligibility against party number 2 Louis Aliot; 10 months suspended sentence and one year of ineligibility against RN spokesperson Julien Odoul; 18 months suspended sentence and two years of ineligibility for Marine Le Pen’s sister, Yann Le Pen, each time with fines and provisional execution.
The two prosecutors detailed the architecture of a “system” which, according to them, was put in place at the National Front (now RN) between 2004 and 2016, consisting of concluding “artificial contracts” for European parliamentary assistants who worked in reality for the party.
At the time, “the party was in a particularly tense financial situation. Everything that can contribute to reducing charges will be used systematically”, whether “legal or not”, affirmed Louise Neyton.
Faced with “the alternative fiction” proposed in defense, the prosecutors dissected, defendant by defendant and contract by contract, “the nature of the work” carried out by the twelve parliamentary assistants, the “link of subordination” that they maintained with “their European deputy, nine, including Marine Le Pen, are tried in total. As proof of work, “there is nothing”, except “the famous standard proof: the press review”, noted the prosecutors, describing the employment contracts, “artificial”, without “coherence” .
The defense is due to plead starting Monday and the trial is scheduled to end on November 27. The court will not make its decision in early 2025.
In what ways can public trust be restored in cases where political ambition undermines accountability?
They do not want to see, and they refuse to take responsibility for their actions.” The prosecution’s narrative paints a vivid picture: a well-oiled machine, running on public funds, fueling the ambitions of party leaders while disregarding the law and the democratic principles they claim to uphold.
In the heart of this legal battle lies a pressing question: What happens when political ambition collides with accountability? The courtroom has transformed into a battleground, not just for Le Pen and her allies, but for the very notion of democracy in France. With the prosecution arguing that these alleged misdeeds amount to a betrayal of public trust, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Le Pen’s defense will no doubt bring its own drama. As the trial continues, the courtroom becomes a stage where every act and every line will be scrutinized—not just for the legal implications, but for their political repercussions as well. It’s a gripping saga that holds the nation’s attention, as both sides prepare to unleash their scripts in the next act.
As we await the defense’s counterarguments and the court’s eventual verdict, one thing is crystal clear: this story is far from over. With the impending presidential election casting a long shadow over these developments, the interplay of justice and political ambition promises to be a focal point in French politics for months to come. So grab your popcorn, because the show is just getting started!
