US EditionEU Court Denies Le Pen Heirs’ Appeal to Evade Repaying Misused Funds
EUROPEAN UNION, JUL 16 – The European Union General Court confirmed the heirs must repay €303,200 wrongly claimed by Jean-Marie Le Pen for personal expenses during his MEP term, despite legal challenges.
- On July 16, 2025, the EU General Court confirmed the European Parliament's decision requiring the estate of Jean-Marie Le Pen to return €303,200, which had been improperly used for personal expenditures while he served as an MEP.
- The ruling followed a lengthy investigation by the European Anti-Fraud Office into Le Pen's misuse of parliamentary funds between 2009 and 2018, which Le Pen and his heirs contested before and after his death in January 2025.
- Le Pen's daughters and granddaughter continued the legal challenge, but the Court found the European Parliament acted with legal certainty, allowing repeated responses, and that no evidence justified the expenses under budget item 400.
- The Court ruled that administrative proceedings do not require the same fair trial rights as judicial ones and stated, "the right to a fair trial... was not violated" despite acknowledging the personal toll on Le Pen's family.
- The ruling reinforces financial accountability for misused EU funds amid renewed probes into Marine Le Pen's National Rally party, with recent police raids last week seizing documents linked to ongoing investigations.
46 Articles
46 Articles
EU court rules against family of late Jean-Marie Le Pen in expenses case
An EU court has dismissed an appeal brought by the heirs of the late French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen. The family were disputing a European Parliament demand for repayment of more than €300,000…
EU Court Orders Recovery of Funds From Late French Politician Jean-Marie Le Pen’s Estate
The General Court of the European Union on Wednesday upheld a decision by the European Parliament requiring the recovery of 303,200 euros ($352,380) from the estate of late French leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. The court ruled the money was unduly claimed during his time as a member of the European Parliament (MEP). The case stems from findings by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which reported that between 2009 and 2018, Le Pen had improperly …
The General Court of the European Union has agreed this Wednesday to the European Parliament against the appeal filed by the heirs of the French ultra-right leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, to avoid having to return the slightly more than 300,000 euros that the institution claims for the fraudulent use by the founder of the National Front of some of the assignments it received while occupying a seat as a Euro MP.
The Le Pen family was rejected on Wednesday by the European Union court. Jean-Marie Le Pen's heirs asked for the annulment of a decision demanding reimbursement by the former leader of the National Front of a sum of 300,000 euros.
The right-wing populist politician Marine Le Pen is once again threatening trouble. Because a six-digit claim by her now deceased father Jean-Marie against reclaims by the European Parliament failed before the European Union court. If the verdict becomes final, the heirs of the Front National founder must pay the EU Parliament around 300,000 euros. Jean-Marie Le Pen was in parliament from 1984 to 2019.
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