Le Pen verdict likely to face ECJ challenge

Date: 25/10/01

By Martin Banks

CONTROVERSIAL far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen is likely to face another attempt to oust him from the European Parliament in the New Year.

The French firebrand regained his seat earlier this year after the Court of First Instance issued an interim decision over-turning a bid by Parliamentary President Nicole Fontaine to bar him from the assembly.

Her move followed a French court's decision to suspend Le Pen from elected office for a year for assaulting an opponent during the 1997 general election campaign.

The Court of First Instance is due to deliver its final verdict early next year. If it allows Le Pen to remain a deputy, Parliament is expected to challenge this in the European Court of Justice - putting two of the main EU institutions on a direct collision course.

Le Pen, who was absent from Parliament for two months following the move to bar him from the assembly, says he is the victim of "political persecution". "Considering the relative triviality of the incident, I seem to have been already condemned," he told European Voice. "However, I must point out the original French decision was for one year only and that has now elapsed. In view of this I am confident that I will be allowed to remain an MEP."

Parliament information officer Jaume Duch said: "This case has fascinating repercussions and could eventually boil down to determining which of the two institutions - Parliament or the Court of First Instance - has a final say in such matters." Any bid to remove Le Pen from Parliament will be strongly backed by several deputies, including British MEP Glyn Ford.

He said: "I intensely dislike his policies and will fully support any further attempt to remove him from Parliament. But, more importantly, we must remember that this is a man who is trying to escape a lawful decision made by the French courts."

Controversial far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen is likely to face another attempt to oust him from the European Parliament early in 2002.