The convocation concerned the distribution by the president of the RN of a judicial document on Twitter.

The President of the National Gathering, Marine Le Pen, convened Tuesday before an examining magistrate in Versailles to indict her for the publication of a judicial document on Twitter, did not show up, did one learned from his lawyer and the prosecution.

"I have never seen a judicial harassment of this magnitude"

Marine Le Pen had broadcast on September 20 on its Twitter account, in extenso, an order of psychiatric expertise issued in the context of the investigation opened against him for the publication of images of the group EI, in 2015, on the same social network. She was summoned on Tuesday morning for a first appearance examination, as part of an investigation opened in February for "publication of criminal proceedings before their reading in public hearing".

"She pleaded her parliamentary immunity in a case that directly undermines freedom of expression," told AFP his lawyer, Mr. Rodolphe Bosselut. "I have never seen judicial harassment of this magnitude," he added. In this case, the next step is a probable request for the lifting of parliamentary immunity by the investigating judge.

An investigation following another procedure

This investigation followed a first procedure: in December 2015, Marine Le Pen had posted on Twitter three photos of the Islamic State group, to criticize the journalist Jean-Jacques Bourdin, who had according to her "drawn a parallel" between his party and the jihadist group. An investigation was then opened, which was completed in the spring: Marine Le Pen was sent back to the criminal court in late May for "dissemination of violent images" - on the basis of a law punishing the broadcast of violent messages likely to be seen by a minor.

However, the judge in charge of this case had, in the context of this instruction, issued an order of psychiatric expertise to Marine Le Pen, as provided by the texts. On 20 September 2018, the far-right leader had rebelled against this report, denouncing a "method" used "in totalitarian regimes". It was on that day that she published a photo of the summoning document. A second instruction was then opened, entrusted to the Crime Squad against the Person, the communication of judicial information being strictly subject to the law.

The boss of the RN is indicted in another case, the allegedly fictitious jobs of European parliamentary assistants, including for "embezzlement of public funds", along with several other political leaders of his party.