Judge: US envoy tried to influence Le Pen case

TT

Published 11.07

 

Marine Le Pen on Tuesday. Photo: Michel Euler/AP/TT

A US State Department adviser tried to get a French judge to intervene against a ruling against far-right figure Marine Le Pen, the judge said.

During a meeting last year, adviser Samuel Samson asked Judge Magali Lafourcade if she could take action against Le Pen being banned from running in political elections, Lafourcade said.

She is said to have informed the French Foreign Ministry about the meeting, writes Politico.

Marine Le Pen and around 20 other representatives of the National Rally party were convicted last year of embezzling EU funds, but US President Donald Trump has claimed that the ruling is political.

Lafourcade attended the meeting in his role as Secretary General of France's National Advisory Committee on Human Rights.