Jean-Marie Le Pen (95) placed under judicial protection

Former French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has been placed under judicial protection. This was announced by his lawyer François Wagner. After a medical test, Marine Le Pen’s father, aged 95, was found unable to make his own decisions.

Since his cardiac arrest in April 2023, Jean-Marie Le Pen’s health has deteriorated significantly, according to insiders. The decision to place him “under judicial protection” in mid-February came at the request of his family. The measure is comparable to guardianship. His three daughters — Marine, Marie-Caroline and Yann — have now been given power of attorney to perform actions or make decisions in their father’s name.

READ ALSO. For the first time, no Le Pen is at the head of Rassemblement National, but leadership of the party remains in the family

Le Pen is normally due to appear in court in September. He is suspected, together with his daughter Marine, the mayor of Perpignan Louis Aliot and the party’s former number two, Bruno Gollnisch, of using European Union funds between 2004 and 2016 to pay for assistants who in reality worked for the party worked. It is not yet clear whether this measure could have an influence on this.

Court case

This measure is certainly not a deliberate tactic by the defense to circumvent the lawsuit, his lawyer says Le Figaro. “He’s just an elderly man who is tired,” co-defendant Louis Aliot added to BFMTV. “I honestly think the court will have to rule that he can neither be present nor testify in this trial.”

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Jean-Marie Le Pen gained fame as chairman of the right-wing nationalist party Front National and is not an undisputed figure. He was known for his strong anti-migration views and liked to express them in an unqualified manner. In the past it led to two convictions for racism. His daughter Marine Le Pen took over the party’s leadership in 2011. It has now been renamed Rassemblement National.