Investigators probe Le Pen party headquarters in fiscal investigation
In a significant turn of events, the Rassemblement National (RN) party, led by Marine Le Pen, is currently under investigation for suspected illegal campaign financing in France and at the European level.
On July 9, 2025, French police raided the RN's Paris headquarters as part of a judicial inquiry focusing on alleged illegal funding practices during the 2022 presidential and legislative elections and the 2024 European elections. The investigation is concerned with potential loans made by wealthy party members to RN and its candidates, as well as allegedly inflated invoices to increase state reimbursement of campaign expenses.
The Paris prosecutor's office launched this investigation a year ago and has also searched the offices and homes of several company executives linked to service providers suspected of overbilling during RN campaigns. This inquiry is handled by the Paris judicial police’s financial and anti-corruption brigade (BFAC).
The investigation is not limited to France. On July 8, 2025, the European Public Prosecutor's Office initiated a formal investigation into the misuse of European Parliament funds, involving the former far-right political group Identity and Democracy (ID), which included RN members. This probe concerns approximately €4.3 million allegedly misused between 2019 and 2024, with much of the money benefiting companies tied to a former advisor of Marine Le Pen.
The European investigation follows a 2025 conviction of Le Pen in France related to embezzlement and a fake jobs scandal linked to the European Parliament, a case she has appealed.
In response to the raids and investigations, RN leaders have denounced the actions as harassment aimed at preventing their rise to power, echoing previous claims during past probes. RN leader Jordan Bardella described the raid as a "spectacular and unprecedented action." Bardella also stated that all files relating to the last regional, presidential, parliamentary, and European election campaigns are now in the hands of the judiciary.
This is not the first time Le Pen and her party have faced scrutiny. In 2025, Le Pen and other party officials were convicted by a court for misusing EU funds. Le Pen has since appealed the verdict and has turned to the European Court of Human Rights.
The investigation is ongoing, and it remains to be seen how these allegations will impact the RN party and its future political endeavours.
- The ongoing investigation by the Paris judicial police’s financial and anti-corruption brigade (BFAC) has expanded beyond France, as the European Public Prosecutor's Office launched a formal investigation relating to the misuse of European Parliament funds, involving business ties between Rassemblement National and the former far-right political group Identity and Democracy.
- The scandal surrounding the Rassemblement National's (RN) suspected illegal campaign financing has implications not only for French politics but also for general-news, as it raises questions about the party's compliance with finance regulations in their business dealings.
