French Far-Right Party Faces Police Raids and Financial Scrutiny

Far-Right Party Faces Legal Troubles

The National Rally (RN), a prominent far-right party in France, is under scrutiny after police raided its headquarters and several associated companies. The operation, conducted by 20 finance brigade officers, is part of an ongoing investigation into potential fraud and misuse of campaign funds.

Prosecutors are examining allegations of:

• Fraud committed against a public figure
• Violations related to loans and donations during the 2022 and 2024 election campaigns

Jordan Bardella Condemns Raid

Jordan Bardella, the 29-year-old president of the RN, was absent during the raid as he attended a European Parliament session in Strasbourg. He denounced the operation as:

"A serious attack on pluralism and democratic change."

Bardella claimed that the party's campaign accounts have been approved and reimbursed, accusing authorities of a "new harassment campaign" against the RN.

RN Leads Polls Despite Legal Challenges

Despite legal troubles, the RN remains ahead in French opinion polls, with Bardella topping a recent poll as the most popular political figure in the country.

Earlier this year, RN leader Marine Le Pen was convicted of helping to embezzle European Union funds and barred from running for office for five years. She has appealed the conviction, calling it a "witch hunt", but has accepted that she may need to step aside for Bardella ahead of the 2027 presidential vote.

Additional Legal Challenges

The investigation into the RN's campaign finances is not the party's only legal challenge. The European Union public prosecutor's office has also launched an inquiry into a former political grouping at the European Parliament that the RN was part of.

The group, Identity and Democracy, was dissolved last year and is suspected of misusing Parliament funding. The RN is now part of the Patriots for Europe group, which includes far-right parties from several European countries.

RN's Defense

The RN has defended itself by stating that the allegations of illicit campaign financing are based on the fact that no French bank was willing to provide funding. The party previously secured loans from banks in Russia and Hungary.

As the investigations continue, the RN faces significant legal and political hurdles that could impact its future prospects.