The European Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office has opened an investigation into the alleged misuse of EU funds connected to media training sessions for National Rally leader Jordan Bardella, a party official reported. <\/p>\n
The probe follows a\u00a0complaint\u00a0filed by the AC!! Anti-Corruption organization last December. The National Rally official denied the allegations against Bardella, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing Politico<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2018media training\u2019 services were delivered by [a] supplier and complied with European Parliament rules, and were approved by the European Parliament authorities on European topics, for several MEPs belonging to the National Rally group \u2026 including Jordan Bardella,\u201d said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic.<\/p>\n The services were stopped ahead of the 2022 presidential election, the official said.<\/p>\n In 2022 Le Pen reached the\u00a0second round of the presidential election\u00a0before\u00a0losing\u00a0to incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron<\/a>. Bardella and Le Pen are the\u00a0current front-runners\u00a0ahead of next year\u2019s presidential election.<\/p>\n According to several French news outlets, the complaint against Bardella was first lodged with France\u2019s National Financial Prosecutor\u2019s office before being transferred to the European Public Prosecutor. The National Rally official said the complaint represented \u201cpolitical instrumentation\u201d of the French justice system.<\/p>\n The National Financial Prosecutor\u2019s office and the EPPO did not respond to POLITICO\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n The new probe comes as National Rally parliamentary leader Marine Le Pen is hoping to overturn an\u00a0embezzlement conviction\u00a0that bars her from running in the 2027 presidential election. The National Rally\u2019s presidential plans are in limbo until her appeal is decided in July.<\/p>\n