Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen went on trial in Paris on Monday on charges of abusing European Parliament funds by hiring aides provided at taxpayer expense for party matters.

Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right National Union, has denied the allegations in her first trial of alleged embezzlement of European Parliament

For Le Pen, the hearings risk overshadowing a record performance in July’s snap parliamentary poll that handed the RN 126 seats – enough to sway Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s shaky minority governme