French anti-graft group Anticor has sought an investigation into claims that Jordan Bardella held a fake European Parliament assistant job in 2015, allegations he and the National Rally deny. The complaint, linked to suspected forged documents and misappropriation of public funds, comes as Bardella remains a key figure in France’s far right and a possible presidential candidate if Marine Le Pen is barred from standing.
Allegations Against Bardella
As reported by Reuters via The Straits Times, Anticor says Bardella needs to account for his activity during a four-and-a-half-month stint as assistant to MEP Jean-François Jalkh in 2015. The group alleges that Bardella and people close to him provided forged documents to suggest he was working for the European lawmaker.
The party strongly denies wrongdoing. The RN told AFP that Bardella
“was never implicated in the parliamentary assistants affair,”
referring to the separate court case involving Marine Le Pen.
Legal Complaint and Prosecutor’s Position
According to Reuters, via The Straits Times, Anticor filed a legal complaint in January accusing Bardella and six others of misappropriation of public funds and forgery. A source familiar with the matter told AFP that the Paris prosecutor’s office received the complaint, but prosecutors said they could not act further until the court file and related sealed documents were no longer before the court.
Anticor said the investigation
“indicates that party officials may have produced false documents in order to conceal the alleged embezzlement of funds, as well as the possible involvement of Jordan Bardella.”
The watchdog said it was filing a new type of complaint intended to lead to the appointment of an investigating magistrate.
Earlier Reporting On Similar Claims
French media coverage of Bardella’s finances and parliamentary activity has been building for months. Le Monde reported on 7 May 2026 that EU prosecutors had opened a fraud investigation into alleged misuse of European Parliament funds for media training that may have benefited Bardella during Marine Le Pen’s 2022 presidential run.
Le Monde said the complaint, filed in Paris in December 2025 by anti-graft group AC!! Anti-Corruption, alleged that funds allocated to RN MEPs were used for purposes other than those for which they were granted. The same report said the media coach had been hired to prepare RN MEPs for media appearances and was paid from the European Parliament budget.
Bardella’s Political Position
Bardella is widely seen as the man who could run for president if Marine Le Pen is blocked from the race. The Straits Times said he will run in 2027 if Le Pen loses her appeal against a graft conviction. Bloomberg likewise reported in May that investigators were examining possible misappropriation of EU funds relating to media training Bardella and other MEPs received.bloomberg+1
That political context matters because Bardella has become one of the most visible faces of the National Rally. Any new investigation risks feeding claims from his opponents that the party remains entangled in repeated ethics and funding scandals.
Pattern Of Investigations
The new accusations come against a wider backdrop of scrutiny over the National Rally and its former allies in the European Parliament. Le Monde reported in 2025 that the decade-long fake assistants case involving the RN had already resulted in Marine Le Pen’s conviction and ban from running for office.
Le Monde also reported that the now-defunct Identity and Democracy parliamentary group, which included around 10 far-right parties, was accused of irregular spending practices totalling at least €4.33 million. That sum was described as close to the financial damage caused by the RN’s fake parliamentary assistants system.
Bardella’s Previous Court Defeat
The current allegations are not Bardella’s first brush with legal controversy. The Straits Times reported that in 2025 he lost a defamation case against Libération over a 2023 article that described him as a “phantom parliamentary assistant”.
That earlier ruling is likely to be cited by critics who argue that the latest claims fit a broader pattern of disputed employment and funding practices around the party. Bardella and the RN, however, continue to reject those characterisations and insist they have done nothing unlawful.
What Happens Next
For now, the key question is whether the prosecutor’s office will be able to move forward once the relevant court material is released. Anticor wants the new complaint to trigger a more formal judicial investigation, but that depends on procedural developments already under way.
The case also lands at a politically sensitive moment for France’s far right. If Marine Le Pen is prevented from standing, Bardella could emerge as the party’s presidential standard-bearer, making the legal pressure around him even more consequential.
