The offense is of the same nature: the misuse of EU public funds, originally intended to support parliamentary work in Brussels, redirected instead to finance party organization activities on national soil. We are still talking about political activity—one conducted in the European Parliament, the other in France—but not personal enrichment or private misuse such as vacations or fake expenses.
It is on these grounds that Marine Le Pen was recently convicted—a sentence that appears particularly severe, especially considering that even individuals with criminal records can vote in France. Le Pen remains the only candidate truly capable of challenging Macron in the upcoming presidential elections.
Yet, when comparing this case to similar ones, a two-tiered justice system clearly emerges.
According to Jurist News, in 2023 the Paris Criminal Court acquitted François Bayrou, leader of MoDem and former Justice Minister, in a case involving eleven questionable contracts signed between 2005 and 2017, totaling €293,000. These funds, officially meant to support EU parliamentary work, were allegedly used by MoDem—and previously the UDF—to pay assistants who in fact worked for the party in France.
Of all those charged, the main defendant, Bayrou, was acquitted, while others received reduced penalties or suspended sentences. In particular, five former MoDem MEPs (Jean-Luc Bennahmias, Janelly Fourtou, Thierry Cornillet, Anne Laperrouze, and Bernard Lehideux) were handed suspended prison sentences ranging from 6 to 12 months for their involvement in the misappropriation of EU funds. The MoDem party itself was fined €150,000, with €50,000 suspended.
An appeal was filed by the European Parliament, acting as a civil party, but due to judicial backlog, no date for the appeal has been set. As of April 1, 2025, Bayrou remains fully acquitted, having faced no prison time, no house arrest, and not even a suspended sentence, thanks to a first-degree ruling in his favor “on the benefit of the doubt.” This situation could change only if the appeal leads to a different outcome.
The difference between this and Le Pen’s case lies not in the nature of the offense—the distorted use of EU funds—but in the treatment of those involved. When the name is Marine Le Pen, sentencing is swift and exemplary. When it’s François Bayrou, a longtime ally of Emmanuel Macron, the courts are more lenient, invoking lack of evidence—even when the structure of the “system” was sufficiently documented to convict several others from the same party.
Bayrou himself called the ruling “the end of a seven-year nightmare,” and is now reportedly preparing for a possible political comeback, perhaps with an eye on the 2027 presidential race. A coincidence that raises serious questions about the timing and political weight of judicial decisions.
Following these scandals, the European Union has stepped up anti-fraud measures, reinforcing cooperation between investigative bodies such as OLAF and Eurojust. However, the fundamental question remains:
Do the rules apply to everyone—or only to those outside the circles of power?
The answer is all over the newspapers