Prosecutors
conduct Europe-wide raids over alleged misuse of funds by defunct far-right EU
group
By Emma
De Ruiter
Published
on 30/06/2026 - 21:47 GMT+2
The
European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) said on Tuesday they were conducting
raids in four countries to probe alleged misappropriation of EU funds by the
former far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European parliament.
The EPPO
said the searches were "part of an ongoing investigation into the use of
EU funds by a former political group of the European Parliament between 2019
and 2024."
The ID
group was formally disbanded after elections in 2024 and was succeeded by a new
grouping Patriots for Europe. It contained MEPs from a range of Eurosceptic
parties including France's National Rally (RN), Italy's League (Lega) and the
Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Jordan
Bardella, RN president and head of the Patriots group, posted on X on Tuesday
evening that "searches have been underway at the offices and private homes
of communications service providers who have worked with us" since the
morning.
The EU's
prosecutor announced formal investigations in July last year after media quoted
a parliamentary report as saying said ID was suspected of improperly spending
€4.3 million between 2019 and 2024.
Bardella
at the time said the probe represented "a new harassment operation by the
European Parliament".
The RN is
eyeing its best chance yet of winning the presidency in France next year, with
polls suggesting it will have a commanding lead in the first round of voting.
But
three-time RN presidential candidate Marine Le Pen may have to quit the race,
and let Bardella run instead, if a Paris court next week upholds a five-year
ban from office in a separate case of alleged fake jobs in EU parliament from
2004 to 2016.
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