France: prosecutors probe financing of far right leader Marine Le Pen's 2022 presidential campaign over allegations of embezzlement, forgery, and fraud ( www.bbc.com ) Englisch

An investigation has been opened into the financing of French far right National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen's 2022 presidential campaign.

Prosecutors in Paris said they will look into allegations of embezzlement, forgery and fraud, and that a candidate on an electoral campaign accepted a loan.

[...]

he RN has previously received loans from Russian and Hungarian banks. The Russian loan worth €9.4m (£7.9m), however, was all paid back last year.

In 2017, the RN was charged with giving party members suspected fake jobs as assistants at the European Parliament.

About €5m (£4m) allegedly went to RN assistants who were not working for MEPs, but doing party work in France.