The European Union's prosecutor said Tuesday it has launched a formal investigation into a defunct far-right group, which included France's Rassemblement National (RN), over the alleged misuse of European Parliament funds. "The European Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation," said a spokesperson for the agency that probes financial crimes against the bloc, said.
A parliamentary report said the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) political grouping, which was disbanded last year, was suspected of improperly spending 4.3 million euros ($5 million) between 2019 and 2024. The report was revealed earlier this month by Le Monde and its partners, German investigative television program Kontraste, the German magazine Die Zeit, and the Austrian weekly newspaper Falter.
The ID group contained MEPs from a range of eurosceptic parties, including the RN of Marine Le Pen, the longtime standard bearer of the French far right, Italy's League and the Alternative for Germany. ID was formally disbanded after elections last year and was succeeded by a new grouping Patriots for Europe.
The bulk of the allegedly misused funds benefited companies belonging to a former advisor to Le Pen and his wife. Le Pen ally Jordan Bardella, who now heads the Patriots group, said the probe represented a "new harassment operation by the European Parliament".
The European Parliament said it "takes note of the decision" by the prosecutors to open the probe, first reported by Euractiv on Tuesday. "As always, parliament cooperates fully with national or European authorities if requested so," the parliament said.
The investigation comes after Le Pen suffered a stunning blow in March when a French court convicted her and other party officials over an EU parliament fake jobs scam. The ruling, which Le Pen has appealed, banned her from standing for office for five years, which would scupper her ambition of taking part in the 2027 presidential vote.