Marine Le Pen refuses to repay €300,000 in misused EU funds

Marine Le Pen - leader of France's National Front (FN) who is also a member of the European Parliament - announced on the 31 January 2017 her defiance of the deadline set by EU authorities for the repayment of funds they claim she had misspent. The Parliament sought to recover the expenses after accusing two of Le Pen's parliamentay assistants of in fact working for her party back in France.

Mrs Le Pen stated she was not going to give in to what she considered to be a political decision taken before a court decision over an action she had started.

Police raided the headquarters of the Front National in Paris on the 20 February 2017 in connection with the case.

ESO: Background information: EP refers alleged French National Front financial irregularities to OLAF http://www.europeansources.info/record/ep-refers-alleged-french-national-front-financial-irregularities-to-olaf/

France24, 01.02.17: Le Pen spurns deadline, refuses to repay €300k of 'misused' EU funds http://www.france24.com/en/20170131-france-le-pen-deadline-refuses-repay-300000-eu-parliament-misused-funds-scandal

Euronews, 31.01.17: France's Le Pen defies demand for 'misspent' funds http://www.euronews.com/2017/01/31/france-s-le-pen-defies-demand-for-misspent-funds

BBC News, 01.02.17: Marine Le Pen: Deadline passes for National Front leader to repay EU funds http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38821074

The Guardian, 01.02.17: Marine Le Pen refuses to repay €300k of 'misspent' EU funds https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/01/marine-le-pen-front-national-eu-funds

Politico, 01.02.17: Marine Le Pen refuses to pay back EU funds http://www.politico.eu/article/marine-le-pen-refuses-to-pay-back-eu-funds/

Politico, 08.02.17: Marine Le Pen sues Parliament and anti-fraud chiefs http://www.politico.eu/article/marine-le-pen-sues-olaf-giovanni-kessler-and-eps-klaus-welle/

Deutsche Welle, 20.02.17: Police search Le Pen's National Front headquarters over EU parliament probe http://dw.com/p/2XwRJ

France24, 20.02.17: Police search French far-right party’s HQ in EU parliament jobs probe http://www.france24.com/en/20170220-france-far-right-police-search-headquarters-eu-parliament-fake-jobs-le-pen

EurActiv, 21.02.17: Le Pen’s headquarters raided by police in EU parliament jobs probe http://www.euractiv.com/section/all/news/le-pens-headquarters-raided-by-police-in-eu-parliament-jobs-probe/

Politico, 21.02.17: Le Pen takes on anti-fraud office, citing double standards http://www.politico.eu/article/marine-le-pen-national-front-olaf-takes-on-anti-fraud-office-citing-double-standards/

France24, 22.02.17: Le Pen aides questioned in police custody in graft probe http://www.france24.com/en/20170222-france-le-pen-aides-questioned-police-custody-graft-probe

France24, 24.02.17: French far-right leader Le Pen refuses police questioning in jobs probe http://www.france24.com/en/20170224-france-marine-le-pen-refuses-police-questioning-jobs-probe

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