As Marine Le Pen’s appeal trial gets underway, Jordan Bardella, president of the Rassemblement National (RN), is also the target of a legal offensive. An anti-corruption association is accusing him of “favouritism and embezzlement of public funds.” The group reported Bardella to the authorities at the end of last year, and an investigation was launched. The alleged offences fuel strong suspicions of judicial harassment of a politician whose popularity is growing. In December 2025, the association called AC Corruption filed a complaint against Jordan Bardella with the national financial prosecutor’s office concerning media training followed by the current president of the RN, and financed by the European Parliament. The timing of the announcement of the investigation to coincide with the beginning of Le Pen’s trial gives the impression of a political targeting of France’s leading opposition party. The AC Corruption association makes little secret of its political motivation in this case. Its lawyer accuses the RN of “shamelessly plundering public funds to extend its hegemony.” After Marine Le Pen, will the courts attempt to sideline her successor too?
