The National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing (CNCCFP) would like Parliament to prohibit foreign people not residing in France from granting loans to a candidate or a political party when some exceed “one hundred thousand euros”.
“I worry when I see loans for amounts exceeding a hundred thousand euros,” declared its president Christian Charpy on Thursday June 25, presenting the Commission’s 2025 activity report. These big lenders would be “around fifty people” who often reside “in border countries” (Belgium, Switzerland, etc.), according to Christian Charpy. He did not name the beneficiary parties but confirmed that they are those “who have difficulty accessing banks”, like the RN.
More than 85% of the financing of Jordan Bardella’s European campaign in 2024 was thus provided by loans from individuals. “We also want to be able to control the origin of the funds to ensure that these loans are indeed made by people who are not nominees,” he added. “If there was a foreign interference bill proposed to Parliament soon, it would be good to have these provisions there,” he suggested.
Several investigations targeting the RN
Christian Charpy also wants the law to clarify the notion of “habitual lender”, a prohibited practice. According to the case law of the Court of Cassation, a personal loan is characterized as being habitual as soon as an individual lends at least twice to a party for a total amount greater than €100,000 or from five loans to a candidate, for a total greater than €75,000.
The RN is thus the subject of several investigations for having taken out loans on several occasions from the same individuals. The Commission wants to be vigilant regarding these individual loans whose duration cannot exceed five years. “It may happen that the loan is subject to late repayment or no repayment at all. And as a result, it is not a loan, it is a donation and it is a way to exceed the ceiling of €4,600 (for a candidate) or €7,500 for a party,” explained Christian Charpy.
In addition, “when we reimburse a candidate for his electoral expenses, we reimburse him by taking into account the amount of his personal contribution which also includes the loan. If the candidate does not repay his loan, it is a breach of trust to the detriment of the State,” he noted. Unlike the European or legislative elections, individuals cannot make loans to presidential candidates. But they can still make loans to parties that finance candidates.
