French ex-minister charged in EU 'fake jobs' scandal

Former French justice minister Michel Mercier has been charged with complicity in the embezzlement of public money over allegations his party gave members suspected fake jobs as European Parliament assistants, legal sources said Friday.

Mercier, a former treasurer of the centrist MoDem party which is allied to President Emmanuel Macron's LREM party, was charged on Wednesday, the sources said.

The 72-year-old is the second senior party member to be charged over the alleged use of European Parliament funds earmarked for parliamentary assistants to pay staff for party work in France instead.

Last week, the party's financial director Alexandre Nardella was also charged with complicity in, and concealment of the misuse of public funds.

MoDem is not the only French party accused of the fraudulent use of EU funds.

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and the far-left France Unbowed have also been accused of tapping into EU funds for parliamentary assistants to pay for party work at home.

All the parties deny the allegations.

Le Pen and her father, Jean-Marie, both longtime former MEPs, have both been charged with misuse of public funds in connection with salaries paid to dozens of parliamentary aides.

While Macron's own fledgling party has been spared by the investigations, the French leader suffered a major setback last month when European lawmakers rejected his pick for European commissioner over the fake jobs scandal.

Sylvie Goulard, a longtime MEP from MoDem who briefly served as Macron's defence minister, was voted down by MEPs because she too is under investigation in the affair.

Goulard, who resigned the defence portfolio in 2017 after the investigation was launched, has not been charged with any offence yet.