French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for public office for five years after being found guilty in an embezzlement case, effectively ending her bid for the 2027 presidential election.
The National Rally leader, 56, was sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended, though she is not expected to serve time. She was also fined €100,000 (£83,635). The ruling, which takes immediate effect, means Le Pen will be unable to contest the next presidential race unless she successfully appeals.
Le Pen and 24 other National Rally officials were found guilty of misusing more than €3 million (£2.51m) in European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016, diverting the money to pay France-based staff working for her party.
Eight other current or former party members who had served as MEPs, along with 12 former parliamentary aides, also received guilty verdicts.
The court described the scheme as “a democratic bypass” that misled both the European Parliament and voters. Chief Judge Bénédicte de Perthuis stated that investigations proved party staff were falsely designated as EU parliamentary aides and performed no legislative work.
She dismissed claims of administrative errors, calling it a deliberate system designed to reduce party expenses.
Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate, had previously declared that the 2027 election would be her last attempt at securing the presidency. With the court ruling in effect, her political future now hinges on the outcome of a possible appeal.
She sat in the front row of the Paris courtroom as the verdict was read but showed no immediate reaction. Leaving before the sentencing was fully delivered, she did not address reporters before departing by car.
Throughout the trial, Le Pen denied orchestrating a scheme to funnel EU funds into her party. Court proceedings revealed that some of the misappropriated money was used to pay for her personal assistant and bodyguard—who had previously worked for her father, National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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