French and Belgian police conducted searches on Wednesday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and Brussels in an investigation into the alleged illegal use of over 4.3 million euros from European funds by a former far-right political group.
The investigation, coordinated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), targets the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, which included the French party Rassemblement National (RN), led by Jordan Bardella.
The ID group was dissolved in 2024, and several of its parties later joined the Patriots for Europe, a European political formation that includes Fidesz, the party of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and Matteo Salvini's League.
According to Euronews, the current Patriots for Europe group may be required to reimburse the improperly spent money by the former ID group if it is determined to have this obligation.
How the money would have been spent
The investigation was opened in July 2025 after a report from the European Parliament's financial department identified unjustified expenses of 4.33 million euros between 2019 and 2024.
According to Le Monde, suspicions include donations of over 700,000 euros to organizations unrelated to the parliamentary group's activities, as well as contracts awarded to companies close to Rassemblement National, sometimes without organizing tenders.
Among the mentioned companies are Unanime and e-Politic, which provided services for the French party's electoral campaigns.
A first series of searches took place on June 30, 2026, in France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy.
Offices of a far-right official searched
According to Le Monde, Wednesday's searches targeted Belgian Philip Claeys, former secretary general of the Identity and Democracy group and current secretary general of Patriots for Europe. His offices in Strasbourg and Brussels were searched by French and Belgian police.
During his tenure leading the administration of the former ID group, Claeys oversaw the signing of contracts and compliance with procurement procedures. In previous statements to Le Monde, he rejected the allegations in the financial report, claiming that all payments were justified, verified, and audited.
Statement from the Patriots for Europe group
Group representatives confirmed the searches but insisted that the current structure has "no legal continuity" with Identity and Democracy, dissolved in 2024. They argue that Patriots for Europe is not the subject of the investigation into the former group's activities and that no MEPs were searched.
In September, the European Parliament's Budgetary Control Committee adopted an opinion stating that funds improperly spent by ID should be recovered from Patriots for Europe if the legal succession conditions between the two groups are met.
The European Parliament stated that it provides support to competent authorities but made no further comments.
Currently, no detentions or charges have been announced following Wednesday's searches. The investigation is ongoing, and suspicions regarding the use of European funds do not constitute a definitive finding of guilt.
G.P.