Marine Le Pen sentenced to three years in prison with partial suspension for misappropriation of European Parliament funds
The Paris Court of Appeal has sentenced Marine Le Pen to three years' imprisonment, of which two are suspended, for misappropriation of European Parliament funds. She must serve one year under electronic monitoring and is barred from public office for 45 months, of which 30 are suspended.
Marine Le Pen sentenced to three years in prison with partial suspension for misappropriation of European Parliament funds
The Paris Court of Appeal handed down a verdict on Tuesday condemning Marine Le Pen to a sentence of three years' deprivation of liberty. Two years have been suspended, whilst the leader of Rassemblement national must serve the third year under electronic surveillance with a bracelet.
The precise conditions of the home detention will be set later. Movement could be authorised in certain circumstances, notably for professional or family reasons.
The former figurehead of the French far-right has also been fined 100,000 euros. She is barred from candidacy for public office for forty-five months, of which thirty have been suspended.
This decision represents a softening compared to the first instance judgment, which had imposed a five-year ineligibility ban on Le Pen.
"We observe a significant easing of the sentence," said Rodolphe Bosselut, Marine Le Pen's lawyer. When asked about his satisfaction, he replied: "Yes, partially, it is a good start."
According to French media, this decision could have repercussions on Marine Le Pen's political plans for the 2027 presidential election.
The politician had previously stated that wearing an electronic bracelet would complicate the conduct of an election campaign due to movement restrictions.
At the same time, the Reuters agency indicates that Tuesday's verdict means theoretically that Le Pen could stand in the April 2027 elections, as she has already served most of the fifteen-month ban in force since the judgment last year.
Le Pen's trial concerned the use of European Parliament funds intended for payments to assistants of National Front deputies, now Rassemblement national.
According to the prosecution, people paid from the budget of the European institution were actually carrying out tasks within the party in France. The court found Marine Le Pen guilty of participation in this scheme.
The leader of the far-right party was due to speak about this verdict during a television interview scheduled for Tuesday evening on TF1.
Source: Interia
Source: Interia