The long-standing presidential candidate is facing trial, along with 26 others, accused of embezzling millions of euros in European Parliament funds by using them to pay staffers to do domestic politics instead of their work as parliamentary assistants. Her party, as a legal entity, is also facing charges.
During five hours of testimony earlier this week, Le Pen sought to turn the tables on the Parliament, describing it as an organ that co-opts its members, cutting them off from the citizens they are supposed to represent.
Or, as she put it, MEPs risk being absorbed by the Blob.
“The European Parliament works in such a way that it swallows up the MEPs,” she claimed. “Everything is available within the European Parliament: You can sleep in, get your hair done, go to the bookshop … Everything is done so that MEPs can live within the European Parliament.”
“The role of the party is to remind them to also engage in politics,” she added.
For Le Pen, the stakes are immense. She plans to run in the 2027 presidential election and is leading in the polls. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to €1 million and a possible five-year ban from public office.