World News for Students of English

04-04-2025 15:00

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right party National Rally, has been found guilty of misusing European Union (EU) funds.

As a result, she cannot run for public office for five years, which means she will not be able to participate in the 2027 presidential election.

Le Pen also received a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended and two to be served under house arrest. The court ruled that she and her party illegally used 3 million euros from the EU, which was meant for parliamentary assistants but was instead used to pay party staff in France. This verdict is a serious problem for Le Pen and her party. She was leading in opinion polls for the next election, and her absence creates uncertainty for the National Rally. The party now needs to find another strong candidate. Jordan Bardella, the current party president, is a possible replacement, but some doubt his ability to compete at the highest level of politics.

The case has also raised concerns in the European Union, as similar financial scandals have happened before. EU officials are worried about how these misuses of funds affect trust in European institutions. Other politicians, including former UK politician Nigel Farage, have also faced accusations of misusing EU money. Investigations have shown that many members of the European Parliament have had to return the money they took unfairly.

Difficult words: misuse (to use something in the wrong way or purpose), house arrest (being kept as a prisoner in one’s own house rather than in a prison), scandal (an action or event that causes a public feeling of shock and strong moral disapproval).

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