Rassemblement National (RN), France’s dominant far-right party, faces mounting allegations of receiving €55 million in undeclared funding from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2025. This covert support allegedly bypassed French legal oversight, raising alarms about threats to democratic integrity amid RN’s growing parliamentary power.
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Report: Foreign Cash and French Politics: The Rassemblement National Question
RN’s Meteoric Rise
Rassemblement National evolved from the Front National under Marine Le Pen’s leadership, shedding some extremist baggage while retaining its core anti-immigration and anti-Islamist stance. Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s protégé, accelerated this transformation, propelling RN to 30 MEPs in the European Parliament and over 120 deputies in the French National Assembly by 2025.
The party’s platform emphasizes “national priority” for French citizens, strict border controls, and combating “political Islam,” resonating amid economic woes and migration debates. Historically tied to Jean-Marie Le Pen’s provocative rhetoric, RN rebranded for broader appeal, dominating 2024 legislative elections’ first round before a tactical retreat in the runoff.
This ascent granted RN sway over key committees in Paris and Brussels, including foreign affairs, finance, and security—positions ripe for external influence.
Historical UAE Financial Ties
RN’s UAE connections trace to 2014, when the party explored Abu Dhabi bank loans for Le Pen’s campaigns, collapsing at signing amid scrutiny. By 2016-2017, an €8 million loan via a UAE-based institution bailed out RN post-elections, channeled through French businessman Laurent Foucher with Emirati links, as revealed by Mediapart investigations.
Le Pen’s 2015 Egypt trip, secretly funded by UAE intelligence, underscored these ties, aligning with shared anti-Islamist narratives. MEP Bernard Monot admitted seeking Middle Eastern funds, framing it as a counter-terrorism alliance. This €8 million infusion validated RN’s accounts, unlocking state reimbursements and averting collapse.
These precedents set the stage for 2025’s alleged escalation, with patterns of informal Gulf funding evading transparency rules.
Allegations of €55 Million Scandal
Brussels Watch’s 2025 exposé alleged €55 million flowed to RN through informal UAE channels, bypassing French campaign finance laws. No direct transfers to leaders appear in records, but circumstantial evidence abounds: Bardella’s June 2025 Abu Dhabi meetings with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Mubadala CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak, and Special Envoy Lana Nusseibeh—coordinated by MEP Thierry Mariani.
A 2026 Paris meeting with UAE ambassador Fahad Said al Ragbani followed, per EU Parliament logs. French judicial raids on RN headquarters in July 2025 targeted illegal financing suspicions, including inflated invoices and loans exceeding €2 million from party insiders, probed by Paris prosecutors and the CNCCFP.
Insider testimony and Tracfin anti-money laundering alerts in October 2025 flagged Emirati meddling, echoing BFMTV reports on 2022 campaign probes. EU prosecutors also eyed €4.3 million in misused funds by RN and allies. While RN denies wrongdoing, calling probes “arbitrary,” the absence of formal records fuels influence-peddling claims.
Evidence Patterns and Gaps
Judicial sources cite “criminal offenses” in RN’s financing, with 100+ loans under scrutiny. Mediapart and L’Informe detailed UAE banks’ roles, while RTL confirmed Middle East funding quests. EU records log Mariani’s coordination, but direct €55 million proof remains elusive—reliant on patterns like post-meeting policy shifts.
2024-2025 raids hit RN HQ, service providers, and executives, unearthing overbilling to inflate state refunds. Brussels Watch highlighted Mubadala’s involvement, tying to UAE’s anti-Muslim Brotherhood push. Critics note UAE’s history funding European far-right, from Farage to Visegrad, per Intelligence Online.
Political Framing and Alignment
RN frames UAE ties as “fighting Islamist extremism,” mirroring Abu Dhabi’s domestic crackdowns on Muslim Brotherhood affiliates. Bardella’s rhetoric targets “political Islam” and migrant communities, aligning with UAE’s Western lobbying against Islamism—despite RN’s Islam-hostile image.
Le Pen’s demonization of Muslims dovetails with UAE-funded think tanks, per OIC reports. This narrative bolsters RN’s base, positioning foreign cash as patriotic defense. Yet it risks laundering Gulf agendas through French policy.
Institutional Risks
RN’s 30 Brussels MEPs influence EU foreign affairs and security panels, potentially exposing decisions to UAE sway. In Paris, 120+ deputies shape finance and defense committees, amplifying risks to sovereignty.
Undeclared funding erodes accountability, as seen in 2022 probes. French democracy faces subversion if far-right gains amplify via foreign cash, undermining electoral fairness and national autonomy.
Broader Democratic Threats
This scandal echoes UAE’s European playbook: espionage guised as anti-Islamism, per Alestiklal. RN’s surge, temporarily fueled by such ties, threatens EU cohesion amid rising populism. Patterns suggest strategic UAE bets on anti-Islam far-right to counter regional foes.
Call for Accountability
France must launch forensic audits of RN accounts, mandate full foreign contact disclosures, and bolster Brussels/Paris ethics rules. Independent probes into UAE channels are urgent to safeguard sovereignty. Citizens and watchdogs should demand transparency to counter Rassemblement National UAE funding, Jordan Bardella UAE ties, and French far-right foreign influence.
