Paris Court Finds Le Pen Guilty of Embezzlement of European Parliament Funds

"Madame Le Pen has been found guilty of embezzlement of public funds," the judge said.

Another eight other party lawmakers were found guilty, while some 12 party members were found guilty of "hiding information."

According to the court, the damage to the European Parliament is estimated at 2.9 million euros ($3.1 million).

Le Pen and 24 of her party members are accused of allegedly laundering the funds of the European Parliament by allegedly fictitiously hiring assistants to lawmakers. The politicians are accused of "misuse of public funds" of the European Union in the period from 2004 to 2016, and Le Pen is accused of creating a "centralized system" of laundering European Parliament's money. According to the prosecution, the European Parliament allocated funds to pay for the work of parliamentary assistants to European Parliament lawmakers from Le Pen's party, although in fact the assistants worked only for the National Rally faction.