Marine Le Pen emerged from a Paris courtroom on Tuesday after a court confirmed that she misused more than €2.8 million of European Union funds for the National Rally between 2004 and 2016. The decision repeats an earlier guilty verdict on the same funding misuse and was delivered only a few hours before Le Pen launched her French presidential campaign.

Le Pen dismissed the rulings as "baseless and contrived" and warned that, even if a higher court upholds the conviction, the French electorate will be the ultimate judge. France’s CGT union called her stance dangerous, while the European Commission’s recent rule‑of‑law report warned that attempts to politicise courts could trigger sanctions under Article 7 of the EU Treaty.

Nigel Farage under investigation in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage is the subject of several investigations. Police are probing an allegation that he received £5 million from a cryptocurrency billionaire in exchange for lobbying the Bank of England. The Sunday Times reported a link between Farage and another cryptocurrency fraudster who allegedly financed his political activities.

Farage resigned his parliamentary seat for Clacton, triggering a by‑election scheduled for early October, and said a new vote would prove his popular legitimacy. He described the investigations as a "witch‑hunt" organised by rival MPs and tweeted that voters in Clacton gave him a mandate and should decide whether his actions are acceptable. The UK’s TUC warned that the by‑election move could normalise the idea that elected officials are above legal scrutiny.

Broader European context

Surveys show that more than two‑thirds of Europeans believe corruption is widespread in their country, and half think their governments are ineffective at tackling it. Spain’s Vox party and Germany’s AfD have faced financing questions, have portrayed the inquiries as evidence of a rigged system, and have not seen a dramatic drop in poll numbers.

The European Commission can increase scrutiny of party financing and demand greater transparency, potentially limiting illicit funding, but EU mechanisms for enforcing judicial independence are limited when national courts deliver verdicts.

Implications for the far‑right

If Le Pen proceeds with her presidential bid while carrying a criminal conviction, and if Farage retains his seat after the by‑election, both could reinforce the narrative that legal challenges do not diminish popular support. Conversely, a loss for Farage could diminish his influence within the UK right‑wing fringe. Successful outcomes for either leader could encourage similar strategies among far‑right parties in Italy, Austria and the Netherlands.