At a time when French cities witnessed demonstrations against Marine Le Pen and the extreme right;
The far-right candidate for the French presidential elections, along with figures close to her, have been accused of embezzling about 600,000 euros in European public funds during their tenure in the European Parliament.
This accusation was issued by the European Anti-fraud Office, according to a new report revealed by the French media site "Mediapart" yesterday, Saturday, and sent to the French judiciary.
In response to a question by Agence France-Presse, the Public Prosecutor's Office in Paris confirmed that it had received this report on March 11, which is being analyzed.
Le Pen's lawyer, Rodolphe Boslow, told AFP he was "surprised" at the timing of the report and its "exploitation".
He stressed that he was "dissatisfied with the way in which the European Anti-fraud Office behaves", stressing that part of the report relates to "outdated facts that are more than 10 years old".
He added that Le Pen "has not been summoned by any French judicial authority," criticizing the failure to send the final report to him or Le Pen.
According to the lawyer, the European Anti-fraud Office investigation has been open since 2016 and Le Pen was questioned by mail in March 2021.
The new report of the European Anti-fraud Office - extracts of which were published by Mediapart - relates to the fees that members of political groups can use in the framework of their mandate as members of the European Parliament, and which Marine Le Pen and her associates may have used for political purposes or for personal expenses or other services.
Demonstrations
In a parallel context, more than 50 French cities, including the capital, Paris, witnessed demonstrations against Le Pen and the extreme right.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the Place de la Nation in central Paris, at the invitation of a large number of unions, and marched to the Republic Square in the city.
The demonstrators demanded not to vote for Le Pen in the second round of the presidential elections scheduled for April 24.
Protesters chanted anti-far-right banners and chanted slogans rejecting current President Emmanuel Macron and his rival, Le Pen.
Paris police intervened to break up the demonstration using tear gas, and the demonstrators burned trash cans.
Among the most prominent cities that witnessed similar demonstrations, Nantes, Rennes, Lille, Lyon, Strasbourg and Marseille.
According to data published by the French Ministry of the Interior, 22,000 people participated in the demonstrations, 9,200 of them in Paris.
Le Pen and her rival Macron face a highly competitive run-off, and Macron is the front-runner in opinion polls in his bid for a second term as French president.
The first round of the presidential elections was held in France, which is governed by a semi-presidential system, on the tenth of April, in which 12 candidates competed, in which Macron won first place with 27.6% of the vote, while Le Pen received 23%.