Marine Le Pen convicted on appeal for misappropriation of European funds
The leader of the National Rally has been sentenced to three years in prison and a fifteen-month ineligibility ban in the European parliamentary assistants affair.
Marine Le Pen convicted on appeal for misappropriation of European funds
Paris Court confirmed on Tuesday the conviction of Marine Le Pen in the appeal trial for misappropriation of European public funds. The leader of the National Rally received a sentence of three years' imprisonment, with two years suspended and one year under electronic monitoring. She must also pay a fine of 100,000 euros.
The ban on candidacy for electoral office has been reduced to fifteen months, compared to five years on first instance. This sentence has already been in execution since late March 2025 and would therefore be considered served by the first round of the presidential election scheduled for spring 2027, according to the court's analysis.
The case concerns the alleged use of approximately 1.4 million euros intended to pay for parliamentary assistants at the European Parliament between 2004 and 2016. The magistrates determined that several employees actually worked on behalf of the party — then called the National Front — rather than for the European deputies who had declared them. The eleven other defendants, including the political party itself, were also found guilty.
Marine Le Pen's lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, stated he was "partially satisfied" with the reduction in sentences, notably the ineligibility. He indicated that the defence would consider the possibility of an appeal to the Supreme Court. For his part, the representative of the European Parliament, Patrick Maisonneuve, welcomed a decision that confirms, in his view, the misappropriation of public money over several years.
Marine Le Pen, who has always contested the facts by denouncing a "political trial", made no statement as she left the hearing. She was to speak during a televised interview in the evening to discuss her political future. The former candidate in three presidential elections could theoretically run in 2027, but uncertainty remains over her actual intentions. Her party, currently the largest group in the National Assembly, already has a backup plan with Jordan Bardella, 30, who could replace her as a candidate.
Source: ORF.at
Source: ORF