A Paris court convictedfar-right leader Marine Le Penon Monday of embezzlingEuropean Unionfunds. Following the conviction, the chief judge barred Le Pen from seeking public office, responding to the prosecution's request, though it is not yet clear for how long.
Le Pen is the current frontrunner for France's 2027 presidential race and could be barred from holding public office for five years. The prosecution sought an immediate ban, which would remain in effect even if she appeals.
Le Pen was charged alongside 24 others from her party, including former lawmakers and parliamentary aides, for misappropriating about €3 million ($3.2 million) in EU funds between 2004 and 2016.
Prosecutors alleged the group systematically diverted money meant for European Parliament staff salaries to pay party employees in France, including security guards, graphic designers and secretaries.
The court sided with the prosecution, ruling that Le Pen and eight former party lawmakers used the EU "to spread responsibility over people who were actually working for the party" in France. Prosecutors accused them of treating the EU as a "cash cow" for salaries and Brussels estimated the total misused funds at €4.5 million ($4.9 million).
During the nine-week trial late last year, Le Pen denied wrongdoing, claiming it was common practice to allocate funds for lawmakers’ needs. "I don't feel I committed any irregularities, not even the slightest illegal act," she testified, though she acknowledged the likelihood of conviction. "I feel like we failed to convince you," she told the three-judge panel.
Under French law, a conviction for embezzling public funds typically results in an automatic election ban. However, in a surprising move last November, prosecutors requested that Le Pen's disqualification take effect immediately, rather than awaiting a final ruling after appeals. They also sought a two-year prison sentence, which could be commuted to community service and a €300,000 ($325,000) fine.
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איור של מרין לה פן במהלך משפטה באוקטובר 2024 צרפתאיור של מרין לה פן במהלך משפטה באוקטובר 2024 צרפת
Illustration of Le Pen's trial
(Photo2: AP Photo/Valentin Pasquier, File)
Le Pen and her party have called the case a political witch hunt, arguing that the prosecution’s push for an immediate ban proves their point. "They want my political death," Le Pen said during the trial.
In an interview with La Tribune published Saturday, she expressed confidence the judges would reject the prosecution’s request. "Personally, I’m not stressed but I understand why people think I am. The judges hold the movement’s fate in their hands. But I don’t think they’ll go that far."
Le Pen, 56, is the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s far-right movement. Since taking over the party in 2011, she has worked to soften its image and distance it from the antisemitism associated with her father, whom she expelled from the party. In 2018, she rebranded it as the National Rally.
Le Pen’s popularity has surged amid Europe's migration crisis and Islamist terror attacks. She reached the second round of the 2017 presidential election againstEmmanuel Macronbut lost by a wide 33-point margin.
In 2022, she again lost to Macron but by a much smaller 17-point gap, as left- and center-right voters united against her. Last year, her party won the most seats in the parliamentary elections but failed to secure a majority after other parties banded together to block her from power.
Le Pen is currently the frontrunner for the 2027 presidential race, which she has said will be her last. A poll published Sunday showed her leading the first round with at least 34% support.
Macron is ineligible for a third consecutive term, and if Le Pen is disqualified her likely replacement as theNational Rally candidate is Jordan Bardella. The 29-year-old, whom Le Pen chose to succeed her as party president in 2021, was the party’s candidate for prime minister last year and is even slightly more popular than Le Pen in some polls.
An immediate disqualification would upend French politics and some fear that in retaliation, Le Pen’s party could align with the left to bring down Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s minority government. The country has been in political turmoil since last year's elections, which left no bloc with a governing majority.
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ז'ורדן ברדלה נשיא מפלגת האיחוד הלאומי בצרפת ארכיון 2024 על רקע דגל האיחוד האירופיז'ורדן ברדלה נשיא מפלגת האיחוד הלאומי בצרפת ארכיון 2024 על רקע דגל האיחוד האירופי
Jordan Bardella
(Photo: Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
Even Le Pen’s rivals have voiced concerns over banning her from running, warning that it could strengthen the far right. "Her fate is in the hands of the judiciary. A conviction for wrongdoing is perfectly normal. But preventing her from running for president is something else entirely," wrote veteran analyst Franz-Olivier Giesbert.
La Tribune editor Bruno Jeudy warned that allowing judges to decide who can stand for office is "extremely dangerous." Jean-Yves Camus, an expert on France’s far-right, also cautioned against the move: "National Rally voters already believe they’re victims of the 'elite.' A disqualification would only reinforce their sense of disenfranchisement."