July 7 – A Paris appeal court on Tuesday upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction for misusing EU funds while shortening her ban on running for elected office, potentially allowing the National Rally (RN) leader to run for the French presidency in 2027.
The court ruled Le Pen would serve a three-year jail term, two years of which were suspended, and ordered her to wear an electronic ankle tag for one year.
The ruling also opens a path for her protégé, 30-year-old Jordan Bardella, as the most likely presidential candidate from the anti-immigrant RN if Le Pen ultimately decides not to run.
Le Pen’s presidential ambitions had been on hold since March 2025, when she received a five-year ban from public office and a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of embezzling more than 4 million euros ($4.6 million) from the European Parliament.
She was found guilty of being part of a scheme to misappropriate EU funds meant to finance parliamentary assistants, using the money instead to pay RN employees.
She denied guilt and appealed.
Following are reactions to the verdict:
RODOLPHE BOSSELUT, LE PEN’S LAWYER
“We are considering the decision as a whole, we will issue a further statement. We are partially satisfied.”
CLEMENTINE AUTAIN, LEFT-WING ENSEMBLE DEPUTY
“Whilst the RN blames immigrants for all society’s ills and dreams of imposing ever-harsher penalties for petty crime, it is fleecing taxpayers… The RN leader has vowed that she will not be able to campaign under these conditions. Will she keep her word?”
BENJAMIN LUCAS-LUNDY, COORDINATOR OF LEFT-WING GENERATION.S
“She has been found guilty by the courts of theft… I don’t think she should even be sitting as a Member of Parliament here in the National Assembly any longer” REUTERS
