France, July 9 -- EU financial prosecutors haveopened a formal investigation into alleged misuseof 4.3 million euros of European Parliament funds by Identity and Democracy - a now-defunct far-right group that included Marine LePen's National Rally party.

Media outlets in several countries reported last week that a draft audit by the European Parliament had found that parties linked to the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group had performed improper procurement procedures and had given donations to non-parliamentary activities.

The report said ID was suspected of improperly spending 4.3 million euros between 2019 and 2024.

The ID group contained MEPs from a range of eurosceptic parties including the National Rally of Marine Le Pen...