French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, member of parliament of the Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) party, talks to journalists as she arrives for her trial alongside 26 other defendants (party officials and employees, former lawmakers and parliamentary assistants) and the RN party itself, over alleged misappropriation of European Union funds, using money intended to pay FN-RN parliamentary assistants for party staff between 2004 and 2016, at the courthouse in Paris, France, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
PARIS (Reuters) - Marine Le Pen, the leading figure of France's far-right National Rally (RN) party, went on trial on Monday accused of misappropriating EU funds and said she was confident she would prove she did nothing wrong.
Le Pen, the RN itself, and 24 others - party officials, employees, former lawmakers and parliamentary assistants - are accused of using money destined for work at the European Parliament to pay staff who were working for their party, which at the time was called the National Front.
