The searches are linked to an probe into the alleged misuse of more than €4 million by the now-defunct Identity and Democracy group, whose debts Patriots for Europe could be forced to repay.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) raided the offices of the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) group in Brussels and Strasbourg on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the alleged misuse of millions of euros in EU funds.
The searches at the European Parliament’s two main seats are linked to an investigation into the former Identity and Democracy (ID) group, the Parliament confirmed to Euronews.
PfE, which includes France’s National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen; Italy’s The League, led by Matteo Salvini; and Hungary’s Fidesz, led by Viktor Orbán, could be ordered to repay more than €4 million allegedly misspent by its predecessor.
“It would appear that these searches are linked to the complaint lodged against the Identity and Democracy group, which dissolved in 2024,” the PfE group said in a statement, insisting that it has no “legal continuity” with ID and is therefore “not involved in the ongoing investigation”.
Neither the EPPO nor the Parliament has released further details about the searches.
The Parliament “cooperates with relevant authorities” and “does not have any additional comment,” its press service said.
Jean-Paul Garraud, an MEP who leads the National Rally delegation in the Parliament, wrote on X that the searches targeted “the offices of former ID staff members”.
The anti-graft body has been investigating since last July the alleged misappropriation of EU funds by ID between 2019 and 2024. The group brought together MEPs from far-right parties such as France’s National Rally, Italy’s Lega and the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
ID dissolved after the 2024 European elections, and many of its parties went on to form PfE, which also includes newcomers Spain’s Vox and Hungary’s Fidesz.
An opinion approved by the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) last September argued that EU funds wrongly spent by ID during the previous term should be repaid by PfE once the investigation is closed.
Under the Parliament’s rules, a political group is treated as “the successor” of a dissolved one, and therefore liable for any remaining debt, if certain conditions are met.
These include “a decisive share of the former group’s members moved together into the new formation”, “premises, IT systems, bank accounts or other assets passed to the new structure”, and “the new name and public messaging presenting the entity as the direct heir of the dissolved group, or following so closely in time that the rebranding appears designed mainly to shed liabilities.”
Source: www.euronews.com
