GETTY Ms Le Pen has been fined amid claims her staff were working out of their EU remit

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The steep penalty was levied after parliamentary watchdogs claimed the controversial politician broke rules by having two assistants do non-Parliamentary work while being paid by the EU institution. Now the hefty fine threatens to wreak havoc on Ms Le Pen's French presidential election campaign despite her polling as much as 26 per cent of the vote in next year's countrywide elections. According to reports the secretary general of the European Parliament sent a letter to Ms Le Pen in September demanding to know whether her employees Thierry Légier and Catherine Griset were honouring their contracts.

GETTY The EU has fined the Front National party almost half a million pounds in one year

This is an enterprise that aims to silence those who criticise the functioning of the European Union Lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi

Klaus Welle then instigated an investigation by the EU’s anti-fraud watchdog, OLAF, after Ms Le Pen did not respond within a month's timeframe. Now her lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi has slammed the decision insisting he will appeal in the European Court of Justice. The angry lawyer fumed: “This is an enterprise that aims to silence those who criticise the functioning of the European Union. “It’s a politically motivated move, and we plan to fight it by making a global case against Parliament and the [EU] institutions, which have overstepped their power.”

GETTY Ms Le Pen is apparently to have fifty per cent of her wages docked

GETTY The French politician could run into trouble in next year's election over a lack of funding

The MEP has not yet had her pay docked but according to reports Ms Le Pen is expected to have as much as fifty per cent of her salary and expenses clawed back. The news comes just months after Ms Le Pen's father Jean-Marie was fined for misusing resources and was fined £290,000. Another three MEPs from the party Sophie Montel, Dominique Bilde and Mylène Troszczynski have also been targeted by EU watchdogs who fined them £44,000 each. Ms Le Pen has been facing financial woes as her party is projected to win a record number of seats in next France's elections next spring.

Marion Le Pen in pictures Tue, May 9, 2017 Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, niece of defeated French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and a National Front lawmaker, announced that she will not run for re-election in the June legislative elections Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 13 Marion Marechal-Le Pen will announce that she leaves her political mandates, according to the far-right National Front