Anna Maria Corazza Bildt (PPE).– Mr President, I would like again to raise the issue of the voting fraud by Ms Le Pen. This issue was raised at the October 2015 session and the Presidency kindly said it would launch an official investigation. Many of us are still wondering what the result of that investigation is after so many months. Mr Marcel de Graaff, co-Chair of the Group of European Nations and Freedom has been sanctioned for the voting fraud on the citizen’s initiative, but we have not heard anything on the vote by Mr Nicolas Bay on behalf of, from the poste of, and with the card of, Ms Le Pen, Secretary-General of the Front National, for voting on the emission schemes. I hope you have some news for us.
President. – I have to inform you that I was tasked by the President to start with an announcement that I will make to you immediately, relating exactly to this matter, but Mrs Le Pen has asked for the floor, so first I will give her the floor.
Marine Le Pen (ENF).– Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, Mme Corazza Bildt semble avoir développé une véritable obsession pour ma personne, je l'en remercie.
Je voulais, en tout cas, l'informer que, contrairement aux allégations mensongères et aux diffamations qu'elle a développées à mon égard, j'ai été totalement innocentée dans cette affaire.
President. – Now, because I have announced this and it refers to the matter we are discussing, I will read the text which has been given to me to be presented to you on behalf of the President: ‘As you will certainly remember during the voting session at the plenary sitting of 28 October 2015, the President was asked by Mrs Corazza Bildt to verify the circumstances under which Mrs Le Pen’s voting machine was being used in her absence. On 17 December 2015, Parliament was informed of the President’s decision to impose a penalty on Mr de Graaff for his behaviour during the aforementioned voting session – that is for having used Mrs Le Pen’s voting machine. The penalty consisted in the forfeiture of his entitlement to the daily subsistence allowance for a period of five days. Moreover, after having heard various Members and Mr Bay twice, the President has decided to impose a penalty on Mr Bay for his behaviour during the same voting session – that is for having used Mrs Le Pen’s voting machine. It will consist in the forfeiture of his entitlement to the daily subsistence allowance for a period of five days. The Member has been notified of this decision’.
Nicolas Bay (ENF).– Monsieur le Président, mon intervention se fonde sur l'article 164 et l'article 167 du règlement du Parlement. Je vais, bien sûr, déposer un recours contre cette décision de sanction, qui n'a aucun fondement juridique, et qui ne s'appuie sur aucun élément de preuve. La décision du président Schulz est révélatrice de l'utilisation totalitaire qu'il fait de l'institution et de la fonction de Président, comme il l'a d'ailleurs
(Protestations)
comme il l'a d'ailleurs montré mardi dernier devant le représentant des Nations unies. Cette décision repose sur des accusations fantaisistes et des témoignages que je n'ai pas pu consulter en violation flagrante des droits élémentaires de la défense et de l'article 166 du règlement.
Je vous rappelle que, dans cette affaire, ce n'est pas à moi de démontrer mon innocence, mais que c'est à mes accusateurs, dont quatre sur cinq sont anonymes d'ailleurs, d'apporter la preuve matérielle de ma culpabilité. Il n'a d'ailleurs échappé à personne que M. Schulz est aujourd'hui en campagne pour un nouveau demi-mandat de Président. Voilà qui l'incite sans doute à céder aux caprices de députés PPE.
(Applaudissements)
President. – We have taken note of your decision to contest the decision, but now Mrs Corazza Bildt has asked for the floor.
Anna Maria Corazza Bildt (PPE).– Mr President, very quickly to say that this is proof of a public ‘mensonge’, a lie, because Mr Nicholas Bay said to me personally that he had voted on behalf of Mrs Le Pen in the car when we were going to the airport, and I have a witness, Mrs Frédérique Ries. It shows how the Front National think that they are above the rules of this Parliament.
President. – The communique announcing the penalty for Mr Bay follows the establishment of the facts.