Jean-Marie Le Pen: what is the “legal protection regime” under which the founder of the FN was placed ?

This Wednesday, April 3, Louis Aliot announced that Jean-Marie Le Pen, 95, was placed under "legal protection regime",  a measure which could compromise the participation of " Menhir" at his trial scheduled for the fall. What does this mean ?

The former president of the National Front (ex-RN) has been the subject of a protection warrant since mid-February, explained to l'AFP its lawyer, Me François Wagner, a civil provision which is similar to guardianship.

What is civil protection ?

Also called a future protection mandate, it allows any adult person, the principal (here Jean-Marie Le Pen) to designate in advance one or more people, the agents (here the daughters of Jean-Marie Le Pen), to represent her the day she will no longer be able to manage her interests.

However, this provision does not cause the principal to lose his rights and his possibility of carrying out legal acts", specifies the official website of the French administration.

This civil provision, comparable to guardianship, was activated at the request of the family by the local court of Puteaux (Hauts-de Seine), after a medical expertise establishing the incapacity of Jean-Marie Le Pen. She made her three daughters – Marie-Caroline, Yann and Marine Le Pen – her agents, allowing them to carry out various acts in their father's name, alone or in concert.

A heart attack in 2023

According to several of those close to him, Jean-Marie Le Pen's health has declined significantly since a heart attack in April 2023. The question of his ability to appear at his trial in the case assistants to MEPs planned for the autumn, is now asked.

"I think that the court will have to pronounce a measure stating that he can neither surrender, nor testify, nor participate in this trial&quot ;, considered Louis Aliot, while a decision must be rendered at the beginning of July.