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European Public Prosecutor's Office Opens Fraud Inquiry Into EU Funds Used for Media Training of ID Group MEPs
The European Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into suspected fraud involving more than €130,000 in EU funds paid for media training that primarily benefited Jordan Bardella ahead of the 2022 French presidential campaign.
May 8, 2:25 PM·1m read1 source
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The European Public Prosecutor's Office has opened a probe on suspicion of fraud involving European Union funds, Le Monde reported on Thursday, May 7, confirming information first disclosed by Agence France-Presse. A source close to the case said the investigation centers on media training sessions provided between 2019 and 2021 to several MEPs in the Identity and Democracy group.
More than €130,000 in EU funds was paid out by the ID group for those sessions.
The media training sessions primarily benefited Jordan Bardella, according to Le Canard Enchaîné, which first reported the case in November 2025. The sessions were purportedly intended to improve his communication on European news ahead of the 2022 French presidential campaign.
At the time, Bardella was serving as interim president of his party and acted as the main spokesperson for Marine Le Pen.
The Identity and Democracy group was dominated by the Rassemblement National during the period of the media training sessions from 2019 to 2021. The Rassemblement National was formerly named the Front National. The Paris appeals court is set to rule in two months in a separate case involving assistants of MEPs from the Front National.
Jordan Bardella appeared at the Rassemblement National rally in Mâcon on May 1, 2026. The European Parliament declined to comment when contacted about the new probe. The European Public Prosecutor's Office also declined to comment when contacted.
