National Rally Headquarters Raided Amidst Investigation into Campaign Financing

A police raid at the National Rally's headquarters has sparked accusations of harassment from party leaders, as they face scrutiny over potential illegal campaign financing practices.

The Paris headquarters of France’s far-right National Rally party was raided by police on Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into its campaign financing practices, according to statements from the Paris prosecutor’s office. No charges have yet been filed since the investigation commenced in July 2024, aiming to determine if the nationalist and anti-immigrant party breached any campaign finance regulations.

Party president, Jordan Bardella, claimed the authorities' actions represent harassment and are a threat to “pluralism and democratic change.” About 20 armed officers, as part of France's financial brigade and guided by two investigative judges, executed the raid, seizing emails, documents, and accounting records from the party. Bardella expressed concern over the unprecedented nature of the attack on an opposition party, emphasizing that such an aggressive action had not occurred under the Fifth Republic.

The National Rally stands as the largest opposition party in France's lower house of Parliament following the snap elections held last year. The party's prominent figure, Marine Le Pen, has challenged President Emmanuel Macron in both of the previous presidential elections without success.

Authorities initiated the investigation based on “multiple alerts” from an institutional source regarding the party’s financing concerning the 2022 presidential and legislative campaigns, alongside preparations for the 2024 European Parliament elections. Although the nature of the source is uncertain, the inquiry seeks to establish whether campaign financing was sourced from illegal loans made by individuals or through inflated or falsified invoices for campaign-related expenses, which are partially subsidized by the French government. While private loans to political parties are permissible under French law, they are strictly regulated to prevent abuse.