Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN), at a rally in Mâcon, France, May 1, 2026. BRUNO AMSELLEM/DIVERGENCE FOR LE MONDE
The far-right Rassemblement National (RN) rejected accusations against its leader, Jordan Bardella, on Thursday, May 7, after EU prosecutors opened a fraud investigation involving EU funds for media training that allegedly aided Bardella during Marine Le Pen's 2022 presidential run. The complaint, filed in Paris last December by the anti-graft association AC!!Anti-Corruption, was forwarded by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office to the European Public Prosecutor's Office for assessment.
The RN said that the media training services were provided "in accordance with the rules of the European Parliament, approved by the services of the European Parliament, on European topics, for several members of the European Parliament from the RN delegation during the 2019-2024 term, including Jordan Bardella."
The launch of the probe comes as Le Pen is seeking to overturn a court ruling that convicted her of embezzlement in 2025 and could derail her presidential bid next year. If an appeals court in July bars the 57-year-old from public office over an alleged fake jobs scam in the European Parliament, Bardella, 30, is expected to run in her place.
