Front National loses €7m case

Cash-strapped right-wing party ordered to pay back millions loaned to it for 2007 election.

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THE FRONT National has been ordered by the Versailles court of appeal to pay back nearly €7m loaned to it to fight elections between 2006-2007.

The case was brought by former FN party member and Euro MP Fernand Le Rachinel who lent nearly €8 million.

The court ordered the party, which is already struggling financially, to pay back €6.3m and a further €600,000 in interest.

Le Rachinel, who quit the party last October saying he had been betrayed by its leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, was responsible for collecting the signatures needed by Le Pen to enter the 2007 presidential elections.

The party’s poor election showing meant that it lost most of its financial deposits. It is in the process of selling its national headquarters and auctioning off memorabilia online to raise funds.

Photo: Manu

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