Jérôme Rivière has played a significant role in French politics in recent years, first on the right, then on the far right under the banners of the Rassemblement National from 2015 to 2022 and Eric Zemmour's Reconquête from 2022 to 2023. He was also a member of the European Parliament until June 2024. On Tuesday, September 2, a Paris criminal court handed the former MP and MEP a three-year suspended prison sentence and fines totalling €90,000 for aggravated tax fraud and money laundering. Additional penalties included five years of ineligibility for public office and a five-year ban on managing a company, both of which were immediately enforceable, regardless of appeals. To ensure the verdict would be publicized beyond the court, the tribunal also ordered Rivière to pay for the publication of the judgement in the media.

Rivière was prosecuted for "knowingly and fraudulently" failing to declare more than €356,000 to the French tax authorities between February 2014 and May 2018, through companies "artificially" domiciled in Hong Kong, "even though their actual management was in France," and of which he was the "de facto manager." Part of the proceeds of the fraud came back into France via several transfers from an account at HSBC in Hong Kong, benefiting Rivière and his children for a total exceeding €140,000.

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