Latest news with #IdentityandDemocracy
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU prosecutor's office investigates alleged misuse of funds by far-right lawmakers
PARIS (Reuters) -EU financial prosecutors said on Tuesday they had opened an investigation into alleged misuse of 4.3 million euros ($5.04 million) of funds by Identity and Democracy, a now-defunct far-right group that included Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. Media outlets in several countries across the EU reported last week that a draft audit by the European Parliament had found that parties linked to the group had performed improper procurement procedures and had given donations to non-parliamentary activities. A European Public Prosecutor's Office spokesperson confirmed the probe, first reported by Euractiv, but said it was not possible to provide any details. The Identity and Democracy grouping in the European Parliament was unveiled by French politician Le Pen in 2019, uniting eurosceptics from across the continent who aimed to devolve power from Brussels back to capitals. Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally and a member of the European Parliament, told reporters the European Parliament had launched a "harassment operation". "I don't think anyone is fooled by this type of operation," he said. Euractiv, a media outlet that covers the EU, said the probe related to spending between 2019 and 2024. EPPO investigates financial crimes against the European Union and works with EU member states' authorities, as well as other entities. ($1 = 0.8536 euros)
The Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
EU prosecutor's office investigates alleged misuse of funds by far-right lawmakers
PARIS (Reuters) -EU financial prosecutors said on Tuesday they had opened an investigation into alleged misuse of 4.3 million euros ($5.04 million) of funds by Identity and Democracy, a now-defunct far-right group that included Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. Media outlets in several countries across the EU reported last week that a draft audit by the European Parliament had found that parties linked to the group had performed improper procurement procedures and had given donations to non-parliamentary activities. The Identity and Democracy grouping in the European Parliament was unveiled by French politician Le Pen in 2019, uniting eurosceptics from across the continent who aimed to devolve power from Brussels back to capitals. A European Public Prosecutor's Office spokesperson confirmed the probe, first reported by Euractiv, but said it was not possible to provide any details. Le Pen's party did not respond to a request for comment. Euractiv, a media outlet that covers the EU, said the probe related to spending between 2019 and 2024. EPPO investigates financial crimes against the European Union and works with EU member states' authorities, as well as other entities. ($1 = 0.8536 euros) (Reporting by Makini Brice;Editing by Alison Williams)
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
EU prosecutor's office investigates alleged misuse of funds by far-right lawmakers
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox PARIS - EU financial prosecutors said on Tuesday they had opened an investigation into alleged misuse of 4.3 million euros ($5.04 million) of funds by Identity and Democracy, a now-defunct far-right group that included Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. Media outlets in several countries across the EU reported last week that a draft audit by the European Parliament had found that parties linked to the group had performed improper procurement procedures and had given donations to non-parliamentary activities. The Identity and Democracy grouping in the European Parliament was unveiled by French politician Le Pen in 2019, uniting eurosceptics from across the continent who aimed to devolve power from Brussels back to capitals. A European Public Prosecutor's Office spokesperson confirmed the probe, first reported by Euractiv, but said it was not possible to provide any details. Le Pen's party did not respond to a request for comment. Euractiv, a media outlet that covers the EU, said the probe related to spending between 2019 and 2024. EPPO investigates financial crimes against the European Union and works with EU member states' authorities, as well as other entities. REUTERS
Local Germany
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
Scandal-hit AfD politician makes comeback in German Bundestag
Krah was the AfD's top candidate for the European elections last year but was excluded from its delegation after comments in which he minimised the crimes of the Nazis' notorious SS. However, he was able to run as an AfD candidate in the eastern state of Saxony in Sunday's general election in Germany, and won with more than 44 percent of the vote. At the party's meeting on Tuesday to form its new parliamentary grouping, it was confirmed that he would sit as an AfD lawmaker despite attracting criticism within the party in the past. His comments last year also prompted the AfD's expulsion from the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament, in which France's National Rally (RN) and Italy's League had been its partners. Krah also hit the headlines after one of his aides was arrested on suspicion of spying for China, and after he was forced to deny allegations that he accepted money to spread pro-Russian positions on a Moscow-financed news website. Another notable face in the new AfD intake is 30-year-old Dario Seifert, who won the seat formerly represented by ex-chancellor Angela Merkel in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Seifert is a former member of the youth wing of the neo-Nazi NPD and has frequently been quoted expressing revisionist opinions about Germany's Nazi past. Another new AfD MP who has caused controversy, including within the party, is Matthias Helferich, who once described himself as "the friendly face of National Socialism". He says he hopes to serve on parliament's culture committee and "answer left-wing culture war with right-wing cultural policy". The AfD doubled its vote share to more than 20 percent and will have the second-biggest group in the new parliament, with 152 seats out of a total of 630.
