PARIS (Sputnik) – The French National Front has stated that it would not accept "unfounded judicial proceedings" with regard to a probe launched over a scandal concerning alleged fake jobs in the party, adding that they have asked for the removal of the judge in charge of the case, because she is a member of the Syndicat de la Magistrature (a magistrates' trade union).
"It is absolutely intolerable that representatives of this far-left union can in any way rule on matters related to the FN and its leaders," the party's official statement reads.
The French right-wing National Front party, as a legal entity, is facing charges of complicity in breach of trust under the investigation into the alleged European Parliament assistants’ fraudulent employment, Le Monde reported Tuesday, adding that party's treasurer, Wallerand de Saint-Just, was summoned by investigators on November 30.
Investigation
In March, French prosecutors launched an investigation into the National Front's alleged illicit enrichment from the funds of the European Parliament. According to the prosecution, the party fictitiously received the salaries of parliamentary assistants who in fact worked only for the party.
Some three months later, the party's leader, Marine Le Pen, was put under formal investigation, with the prosecutors aiming to establish whether the National Front had a general system of paying their employees using money from EU institutions.
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Fake jobs scandals have been gaining momentum in France, with several former ministers from the current government belonging to the Democratic Movement party (MoDem) resigning after a preliminary investigation into the breach of trust and concealment of the breach of trust related to the MoDem party fake jobs allegations.
Another case of the abuse of public funds involved Francois Fillon, former French presidential hopeful from The Republicans party. The scandal surrounding him broke out in January when allegations of his wife Penelope and two of their children being fraudulently employed as his parliamentary assistants came to light.
