The European Public Prosecutor's Office raided administrative offices at European Parliament buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg on Wednesday, targeting premises linked to the now-dissolved Identity and Democracy (ID) group. EPPO confirmed searches in France and Belgium as part of an ongoing investigation into misuse of EU funds by a former parliamentary group, declining to name the group or publish further details. The Patriots for Europe (PfE) group — the third-largest bloc in the European Parliament with 85 of 719 seats — confirmed the raids took place at its offices and acknowledged the searches appeared connected to a complaint lodged against the ID group before its dissolution in 2024. French MEP Jean-Paul Garraud of Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National specified that offices of former ID staff members were targeted. PfE's core defense is a legal firewall: it claims "no legal continuity" with ID. This is technically true — PfE formed as a distinct entity after the 2024 European elections. But the political continuity is unmistakable. France's RN, Austria's FPÖ, and Italy's Lega all migrated from ID to PfE. The only major departure was Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD), which was excluded from PfE and formed its own smaller bloc, Europe of Sovereign Nations, with just 27 seats. The underlying probe is serious. European Parliament auditors concluded last year that ID members had misused at least €4.3 million ($4.8 million) in EU funds during the 2019-2024 legislative term. The money reportedly flowed to companies close to the group and to associations supporting anti-abortion campaigners — a pattern of directing public funds toward ideological infrastructure under the cover of parliamentary administration. The ID group's collapse was itself a case study in far-right coalition fragility. It imploded during the 2024 campaign over dissatisfaction with AfD lead candidate Maximilian Krah, whose controversies ranged from remarks about Nazi Germany to allegations of proximity to Russian and Chinese influence operations. One of Krah's aides has since been convicted of spying for China. The Le Pen parallel is instructive but distinct. RN's leader was convicted in a separate case involving misuse of EU parliamentary funds, a conviction that temporarily threatened her presidential ambitions before an appeals court cleared the way for her candidacy. The ID probe represents a second, institutional layer of financial irregularity involving the same political family. PfE's position as the third-largest group in the European Parliament — behind the center-right EPP (184 seats) and center-left S&D (135 seats) — means this probe carries institutional weight but limited legislative impact. The real stakes are reputational: whether the far-right's rapid parliamentary growth can survive sustained financial scrutiny, or whether the pattern of treating EU funds as party infrastructure proves systemic rather than incidental.
