France’s Marine Le Pen rejects embezzlement claims as presidential bid hangs in the balance

Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen has thrown in recent weeks all her energy at a Paris trial into fighting what she calls unfair accusations that her party embezzled European Parliament funds. She is now facing a crucial moment where her eligibility to run for president in 2027 is at stake. Prosecutors are to wrap up their case and lay out their proposed sentence. The trial is scheduled to finish Nov. 27, with a verdict at a later date. The National Rally and 25 of its officials, including Le Pen, are accused of having used money intended for EU parliamentary aides instead to pay staff who worked for the party between 2004 and 2016, in violation of the 27-nation bloc’s regulations.