{"text":[[{"start":11.05,"text":"French police have raided the headquarters of the far-right Rassemblement National in an investigation into campaign funding, prompting complaints from the party that it was being targeted for political reasons."}],[{"start":25.29,"text":"Party chief Jordan Bardella said in a post on X that about 20 armed officers of France’s financial police brigade had raided the party’s Paris office on Wednesday morning and seized emails, documents and accounting information that went back to 2022."}],[{"start":43.42,"text":"“The entirety of the files concerning the recent regional, presidential, parliamentary and European campaigns — all the party’s electoral activity — are today in the hands of the judiciary,” Bardella said."}],[{"start":59.56,"text":"He said the officers were accompanied by two investigating judges."}],[{"start":63.690000000000005,"text":"The operation comes months after the RN’s three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and other party members were found guilty of embezzling EU funds, potentially blocking her from running for office in the 2027 presidential elections. She is appealing against the verdict and says she will still stand to succeed President Emmanuel Macron."}],[{"start":88.77000000000001,"text":"The Paris prosecutor said the raid on Wednesday was part of an investigation that began after “multiple alerts from an institutional source” alleging in part that the party illegally funded its campaigns using loans from supporters."}],[{"start":105.91000000000001,"text":"The prosecutor’s office said: “The judicial investigation aims to determine whether these campaigns were financed through illegal loans from individuals benefiting the party or its candidates, as well as through overbilling of services or invoicing for fake services that were later included in the reimbursement requests submitted to the state for campaign expenses.”"}],[{"start":129.84,"text":"Loans from supporters are not illegal as long as their use is not “habitual” and the money is reimbursed with interest within five years."}],[{"start":139.87,"text":"Such loans must not exceed €15,000, but they are not subject to the French electoral system’s usual strict donation caps, which are scrupulously audited by the campaign watchdog."}],[{"start":153.3,"text":"Individuals can only donate €7,500 a year per political party, and €4,600 per election per candidate."}],[{"start":164.98000000000002,"text":"Given its chronic difficulties in securing loans from French banks to finance campaigns, the RN has several times asked supporters to take part in so-called “patriotic lending schemes” in which they contribute a minimum of €500, to be reimbursed later with interest."}],[{"start":185.33,"text":"The CNCCFP, the elections watchdog, wrote in its 2023 audit of the RN’s campaign accounts that the party had reimbursed only €3.3mn of €12.1mn in loans that had passed their repayment deadlines."}],[{"start":205.13000000000002,"text":"Speaking to AFP at the European parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Bardella said: “No French bank wanted to lend money to the Rassemblement National to finance its electoral campaigns, so it’s quite incredible to reproach the Rassemblement National for financing itself and to have loans that are perfectly legal.”"}],[{"start":225.82000000000002,"text":"He had earlier called the inquiry “spectacular and unprecedented”, saying it amounted to a “new [kind of] harassment” of the RN."}],[{"start":235.62000000000003,"text":"“An opposition party has never suffered such persecution under the Fifth Republic,” said Bardella."}],[{"start":242.02000000000004,"text":"Prosecutors are looking into whether some of those loans were too large and lasted too long, in violation of campaign financing rules."}],[{"start":251.32000000000005,"text":"The investigation is another blow to Le Pen and the RN, both reeling since her embezzlement conviction. The legal woes have called into question her long, uncontested role as the leader of the party her father founded decades ago, and led to new fissures within it."}],[{"start":271.51000000000005,"text":"Le Pen and Bardella, 29, have both said he would run for president if she was prevented from doing so. But their once-solid mutual loyalty is now under pressure."}],[{"start":284.05000000000007,"text":"On a trip to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia last month, Le Pen slapped down a question from journalists over why Bardella was not with her. “I am not sure Jordan is very familiar with the problems of New Caledonia. We have different talents,” she said with irritation."}],[{"start":305.6000000000001,"text":"In recent days, media have reported the European parliament is also investigating allegations that the RN’s parliamentary group committed wrongdoing by granting money without sufficient controls to charities and organisations that were sympathetic to its ideals. The EU parliament was at the origin of the embezzlement case that led to Le Pen’s conviction."}],[{"start":null,"text":"