Police raided the headquarters of France’s far-right National Rally party Wednesday, in what officials said was an investigation into alleged fraud, illegal loans and forged documents relating to the party’s successful elections of recent years.
National Rally President Jordan Bardella wrote on X that armed officers wearing bulletproof vests, accompanied by two judges, entered the Paris offices and seized emails, documents and accounting records.
He called it a “spectacular and unprecedented operation” that was “clearly part of a new harassment campaign.” he added, “It is a serious attack on pluralism and democratic change.”
The anti-immigration National Rally party has grown in popularity in recent years, only to be narrowly kept out of government by a coalition of mainstream political forces after a snap election called last year by President Emmanuel Macron.
In April, its co-founder and de facto leader Marine le Pen was convicted of embezzling campaign funds, banned from office for five years and sentenced to house arrest for two years. She denies the offenses, and Paris Court of Appeal says it will issue a ruling on her dispute of the decision by next summer.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
