French far-right leader Marine Le Pen denied violating any rules as she and her National Rally party and two dozen others went on trial accused of embezzling European Parliament funds.
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Arriving at the court in Paris on Monday, Le Pen said “we have not violated any political and regulatory rules of the European Parliament” and vowed to present “extremely serious and extremely solid arguments″ in the trial.
The case has the potential to derail her political ambitions. The nine-week trial will be closely watched by Le Pen’s political rivals as she remains a strong contender in the race to succeed Emmanuel Macron when the next presidential election takes place in 2027.
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It comes as a new government dominated by centrists and conservatives just came into office in the wake of June-July legislative elections.
Some observers expect the trial could prevent National Rally lawmakers, including Le Pen herself, from fully playing their opposition role in Parliament as they would be busy focusing on the party’s defence.