Marine Le Pen, member of parliament and president of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, speaks during the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, July 4, 2023.
REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The Paris prosecutor's office said on Friday that far-right leader Marine Le Pen and 23 other members of her party should stand trial over alleged misuse of EU funds, escalating a seven-year-old probe.
The prosecutor's office said some 49 assistants' situation had been examined over a period of time spanning three EU parliament terms of office, from 2004 to 2016.
She faces a potential 10-year jail sentence, a one million euros fine, and - as she's an elected official - ineligibility to hold public office for 10 years, the prosecutor's office said.
Judges will have to decide whether or not to accept the prosecutor's office petition for trial.
Persons:
Stephanie Lecocq, Marine Le, Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron, Juliette Jabkhiro, Dominique Vidalon, Elizabeth Pineau, Charlotte Van Campenhout, William Maclean
Organizations:
National Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Rassemblement, Reuters, Thomson
Locations:
Paris, France, Le Pen's