Eva Joly
Eva Joly (born Gro Eva Farseth; 5 December 1943) is a Norwegian-born French former investigating magistrate, lawyer, and politician renowned for her role in exposing large-scale corruption within French institutions.[1][2] Born in Oslo, she relocated to France in her youth, naturalized as a French citizen, and rose through the judiciary to handle high-profile financial crime probes, most notably the multibillion-euro fraud at the state-linked oil firm Elf Aquitaine, which implicated political and business elites.[3][4] Her relentless pursuit of evidence, often against institutional resistance, earned her a reputation as an uncompromising anti-corruption crusader, though it also drew threats and legal backlash.[5][6] Transitioning to politics, Joly was elected to the European Parliament in 2009 as a representative for Europe Écologie–The Greens, serving until 2019 and chairing efforts on money laundering inquiries and tax evasion reforms.[1][7] In this capacity, she advocated for stronger international mechanisms against offshore secrecy and corporate bribery, drawing on her judicial experience to critique systemic failures in global finance.[8][9] She ran as the Green Party's presidential candidate in France's 2012 election, emphasizing ecological justice and transparency, though her campaign polled modestly amid voter skepticism toward her outsider status and policy priorities.[10][11] Post-parliament, Joly has continued as a lawyer in Paris and commissioner for the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT), pushing for equitable tax policies.[12][7]