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Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
The European Union’s General Court on Tuesday upheld a European Parliament's demand to recover €303,200.99 from Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine Le Pen’s father and a late far-right figure, who had challenged the decision before his death.
The Parliament alleged that Le Pen, who served as an MEP for 35 years, used that sum earmarked for parliamentary expenses to cover personal spending, in breach of budget rules.
Le Pen contested the recovery order in 2024, claiming it violated his right to a fair trial and the legal principles of certainty and legitimate expectation. After his death in January 2025, his daughters – far-right leader Marine Le Pen, and her sisters Yann Maréchal and Marie-Caroline Olivier – continued the case.
The Court, which settles disputes over decisions involving the EU institutions and their officials, dismissed the challenge in full, ruling that the Parliament had respected due process.
In its decision, the Court found that “the procedure that led the Parliament to adopt the contested decision and issue the debit note was not contrary to the principles of legal certainty and the protection of legitimate expectations.”
The Court added that Le Pen and his heirs were given repeated opportunities to respond during both the Parliament’s administrative procedure and the investigation by OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud office.
However, they did not provide evidence that the payments were indeed in accordance with budget rules in due time, the ruling shows, pointing out to Le Pen's deteriorating health and subsequent death. In the ruling, the Court acknowledged the personal toll of the procedure but concluded that "the right to a fair trial... was not violated.”
Le Pen's family has two months to appeal the Court's decision. The lawyers representing the family have not immediately responded to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, "The European Parliament took note of the ruling," a spokesperson said.
The ruling comes amid renewed legal scrutiny of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party ahead of the 2027 presidential campaign. Last week, French police searched the far-right party's headquarters as EU prosecutors launched a fresh probe into its use of Parliament funds.
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UPDATED: This article has been updated to include the timeframe Le Pen’s family has to appeal.
