Brussels: The EU's top court ruled Wednesday that the daughters of late far-right French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen must repay nearly £300,000 ($326,000) to the European Parliament for funds he wrongly claimed as parliamentary expenses. The European Court of Justice upheld an earlier decision, requiring Le Pen's daughters, Marine Le Pen, Yann Marechal, and Marie-Caroline Olivier, to return the money as his legal heirs.

According to Anadolu Agency, the European Parliament acknowledged the ruling, with Ouest-France reporting that the institution "takes note" of the judgment. Jean-Marie Le Pen, who passed away on January 7, served as a member of the European Parliament from 1984 to 2019. The Parliament's Secretary-General had initially demanded repayment on July 8, 2024, for the funds Le Pen had improperly claimed. Le Pen had challenged the ruling before his death, leading to his daughters' involvement in the legal proceedings as his heirs.

The EU's anti-fraud office, OLAF, had previously issued a report stating that Jean-Marie Le Pen had misused funds by listing personal purchases, including ties and umbrellas, as parliamentary expenses. This fraudulent activity led to the current legal action against his daughters to reclaim the misappropriated funds.