RN: Justice has opened an investigation against MP and advisor to Marine Le Pen, Franck Allisio, for misappropriation of public funds

Yet another case that the National Rally (RN) would have preferred to sweep under the carpet. Local investigative media outlet Marsactu revealed on Wednesday, May 7, that the Marseille prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the misappropriation of public funds against Franck Allisio, MP for the ^12th constituency of Bouches-du-Rhône, president of the RN group in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region , and advisor to the two leaders of the far-right party, Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella.

The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region launched an internal investigation into Franck Allisio on November 22nd. Marsactu then revealed the first elements of his boss's possible illegal management of the RN group's resources , including the use of service vehicles provided by the community for purely activist travel and the assignment of missions related to his role as a deputy to collaborators employed by the region. Once this file was submitted, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region deemed it appropriate to report the matter to the public prosecutor.

"Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure requires any authority to report to the courts any offenses of which it becomes aware," Marsactu recalls. " It was on the basis of this report that the prosecutor opened his investigation." Following his election to his seat as MP in 2022, Franck Allisio had failed to declare to the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) that two of his parliamentary staff were also employed by the region . "The MP cited "an administrative error" and claimed to have requested a correction," adds the Marseille-based media outlet.

Although the far-right elected official did indeed regularize the situation of his two collaborators, the time between the reporting and the correction was, according to Marsactu, an opportunity to take advantage of this vagueness. "This accumulation for the same person of the job of parliamentary collaborator and group in the regional council also raised a legal question. It was previously authorized by the region, which then prohibited it from 2023 ," summarizes Marsactu. In the meantime, the regional audit chamber (CRC) issued a report confirming the ban on the accumulation of these two activities governed by a 2020 decree subject to interpretation by the communities." However, the National Rally continued illegally during this period.

Similarly, according to information from Marsactu, "these collaborators employed by the regional council carried out several missions for the benefit of Franck Allisio the deputy , and not the president of the RN group." For example, for the organization of the wishes of the extreme right deputy in Marignane, from his office at the headquarters of the community, in Marseille. One of these two collaborators has been dealing, since the outbreak of the affair, with his activity at the National Assembly and the other with his activity as president of the National Rally group in the region.

However, Franck Allisio is also accused of having taken advantage of two vehicles provided by the region as part of his mandate. The use of these vehicles is "limited to the missions entrusted to the agent in the exercise of his regional functions," the community points out.

"Marsactu, however, spotted these vehicles near several National Rally political events. Notably during leafleting or meetings as part of the campaign for the 2024 European elections and that for the early legislative elections that followed," recalls the investigative media. A new reminder – as already illustrated by the trial for embezzlement of public funds within the European Parliament by the National Front (FN) – that the RN is not too fussy about the rules when it comes to its funding and ambitions.