At the appeal trial before the Paris Court of Appeal, former MEP Bruno Gollnisch admitted that his parliamentary assistants worked residually for the National Front, not solely for him. This admission comes in the case of the party's assistants, where he is accused of diverting 996,000 euros in public funds. At 76 years old, he faces three years in prison, including one firm, a 50,000 euro fine, and five years of ineligibility.
Bruno Gollnisch, former number two of the National Front (FN) and close ally of Jean-Marie Le Pen, appeared on Monday, January 26, before the Paris Court of Appeal in the appeal trial of the party's parliamentary assistants. Turning 76 in two days, the former MEP dropped his lengthy legal explanations on the separation of powers, which he had used in the first trial. He adopted a more measured tone, mimicking his mentor's refined vocabulary.
On the merits of the case, Gollnisch explicitly admitted for the first time that three of his assistants had performed tasks for the FN in a 'residual' manner. Among them are Jean-Marie Le Pen's personal secretary and his daughter, Yann Le Pen. This partial acknowledgment aims to mitigate accusations of diverting European public funds, estimated at 996,000 euros. It could help him avoid a sentence of three years in prison, including one firm term, a 50,000 euro fine, and five years of ineligibility with immediate enforcement.
However, this half-admission appears insufficient for a full recognition of the alleged facts. The trial concerns the presumed use of European parliamentary assistant funds for partisan activities, a practice central to investigations into the FN. Gollnisch, once voluble, has thus taken a step toward a more pragmatic defense without completely retracting his initial stance.
