The long-running case threatens to ruin any bid by Le Pen for the presidency in 2027.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has denied violating any rules as she and her National Rally (RN) party and two dozen others went on trial, accused of misusing European Union funds.
Arriving at the court in Paris on Monday, Le Pen said she remained confident as “we have not violated any political and regulatory rules of the European Parliament” and pledged to present the judges with “extremely serious and extremely solid arguments″.
Le Pen and other National Rally members casually greeted each other before sitting down in the first three rows of the packed courtroom.
The nine-week trial will be closely watched by Le Pen’s political rivals as she is seen as a strong contender in the race for the presidency in 2027.
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