The third-largest alliance of parties in the European Parliament , the right-wing nationalist Patriots for Europe (PfE) group, on Wednesday said searches had been carried out at "administrative offices" at the European Parliament buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg.

PfE said the searches appeared to be tied to the long-running probe into alleged misuse of funds by members of the now-disbanded Identity and Democracy (ID) Group.

PfE formed out of the ashes of ID, losing and gaining some members along the way, after the last European Parliament elections in 2024 .

What did the investigative body say about the searches?

The European Public Prosecutor's Office — the independent body that investigates and prosecutes crimes against the EU budget, such as corruption or misuse of EU funds — said it searched premises in France and Belgium.

It said this was part of an ongoing investigation into the use of European Union funds by a former European Parliament group.

EPPO did not say which group was involved and…