EU Court upholds EU parliament’s decision to recover funds from Jean-Marie Le Pen

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The EU's General Court upheld on Wednesday a European Parliament (EP) decision requiring the estate of late French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen to repay 303,200 euros ($352,380) for wrongly claimed expenses during his time as a member of the parliament.

After Le Pen died in January 2025 aged 96, his daughters Yann and Marie-Caroline and granddaughter Marion continued the legal challenge he had begun in January 2024.

Le Pen, who founded the National Front political party that was later renamed as the National Rally (NR) and was a member of the EP from 1984 to 2019, had contested the parliament's demand for repayment, arguing it violated legal certainty, legitimate expectations, and his right to a fair trial. The funds had been charged as official MEP expenses.

The Court rejected the claims, affirming that the European Parliament followed due process: Le Pen was properly notified, allowed to respond, and failed to justify the expenses. It also ruled that fair trial rights apply only to judicial, not administrative, proceedings.

The National Rally party did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

($1 = 0.8604 euros)

(Reporting by Charlotte Van CampenhoutEditing by Frances Kerry)