Marine Le Pen sentenced to three years in prison with partial suspended sentence in European parliamentary assistants case
Marine Le Pen was sentenced to three years in prison, including one year with an electronic tag, and fined 100,000 euros for fraud involving European funds. The Paris appeals court reduced her ineligibility to 15 months, compared with five years in the first instance.
Marine Le Pen sentenced to three years in prison with partial suspended sentence in European parliamentary assistants case
The Paris appeals court delivered its verdict on Tuesday afternoon in the European funds fraud case that has been contested by Marine Le Pen for years. The former French presidential candidate received a sentence of three years imprisonment, including one year with an electronic tag, as well as a fine of 100,000 euros.
Most important for the political future of the Rassemblement national leader: her ineligibility was substantially reduced. Whilst the first instance court had stripped her of the right to stand for elections for five years, the appeals court limited it to just fifteen months.
This decision could have major consequences on the French political scene. Marine Le Pen, who was aiming for the 2027 presidential election, could now be in a position to seek a new term much sooner than initially anticipated.
The case concerns the alleged misappropriation of European Parliament funds through fictional parliamentary assistants or those employed for tasks other than those provided for. Several other party representatives had also been convicted in first instance. Source: Politiken
Source: Politiken