The Paris Court of Appeal sentenced the National Rally (RN) to a fine of 250,000 euros on Wednesday March 15 in the case of the campaign kits of the former National Front, the turnkey electoral material used by the candidates of the former National Front (now National Rally) in the 2012 legislative elections.
At first instance, the RN had been sentenced to a fine of 18,750 euros for “concealment of abuse of corporate assets”. On appeal, the court reversed the RN’s guilt for the acts of concealment of misuse of corporate assets and acquitted him for these facts but, on the other hand, confirmed the guilt of the political party for the remainder of the facts.
Three ” Moral people “ : the RN, the microparti Jeanne, the communication company Riwal, and seven relatives of Marine Le Pen were tried on appeal for fraud at the expense of the State, abuse of corporate assets, breach of trust, concealment and money laundering.
Overvalued benefits intended to deceive the State
At the heart of the case, “campaign kits” composed of leaflets, posters “personalized”, a website and even services to present accounts in order to the institution responsible for verifying the financing of political parties (CNCCFP). These « kits » were sold 16,650 euros to the candidates of the ex-FN by the association Jeanne, the microparty of Marine Le Pen, and provided by the communication company Riwal, directed by Frédéric Chatillon, a former president of the GUD (Groupe union defense, far-right student organization).
For the prosecution, this system hid overvalued benefits, intended to deceive the State, which reimburses the expenses of candidates exceeding 5% of the vote. Believing to have been the victim of fraud, the State claimed 11.6 million euros in damages from the RN and the defendants.