Probe opens into French MEPs due to alleged breach of trust

The Paris prosecutor's office says it has opened an investigation into 19 French members of the European parliament after one of their colleagues from the far-right National Front claimed they used aides for political activity in France while they were on the parliament's payroll.

The office said Tuesday that, in addition to the MEPs, more than 20 parliamentary aides are investigated for receiving money through an alleged breach of trust.

It wouldn't name any of them, but confirmed that new French minister of European affairs Marielle de Sarnez filed a slander complaint against the National Front MEP who initiated the report to the prosecutor.

Several of the party's members have been under a similar investigation for allegedly tricking the European parliament out of about 300,000 euros ($336,000) paid to aides.