French prosecutors launch probe into Marine Le Pen’s election campaign finances

The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened a preliminary investigation into suspected illegal financing of far-right French leader Marine Le Pen’s campaign during the 2022 presidential election.

The office told The Associated Press that the judicial probe opened on July 2 into allegations of accepting a financial loan, misappropriation of property, fraud and forgery.

The investigation was opened after a report from the National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing dating from 2023.

The body is responsible for monitoring candidates’ expenses. In French elections, candidates are barred from exceeding a certain spending limit.

French media reports said that Ms Le Pen is not the only candidate in the 2022 presidential election singled out by the body.