French far-right chief Le Pen in high-stakes embezzlement trial

French far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) RN's parliamentary group President Marine Le Pen walks past a placard which reads "Let's prepare an alernative to a single-party system" as she attends the French far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) RN party's parliamentary seminar at the French National Assembly in Paris on Sept. 15, 2024.

French far-right presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen and a slew of fellow National Rally (RN) chiefs face trial from Monday over allegations they embezzled money from the European Parliament with fake jobs.

For Le Pen, the hearings risk overshadowing a record performance in July's snap parliamentary poll that handed the RN 126 seats — enough to sway Prime Minister Michel Barnier's shaky minority government.

In the Paris dock are the RN party itself, nine former MEPs including Le Pen and party vice-president Louis Aliot, spokesman Julien Odoul — one of nine former parliamentary assistants — and four RN staff.

First flagged in 2015, the alleged fake jobs system at the RN covers contracts for parliamentary assistants between 2004 and 2016.

Prosecutors say the assistants in fact worked exclusively for the party outside parliament.

Many were unable to describe their day-to-day work and some never met their supposed MEP boss or set foot in the parliament building.

A bodyguard, secretary, Le Pen's chief of staff and a graphic designer were all allegedly hired under false pretences.

"Could I come to Strasburg tomorrow to see how a session works and get to know Mylene Troszczynski who I'm under?" Odoul wrote to Marine Le Pen in 2015 — four months after his contract as a parliamentary assistant to Troszczynski began.

"Yes, of course," she replied.