French far-right leader Le Pen gets 4 year prison term, 5 year ban on running for office in embezzlement case

By AFP 31 March 2025, 2:11 pm

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President of the parliamentary group of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, Marine Le Pen (right), walks followed by co-defendant French member of European Parliament Catherine Griset (left) as they exit a courtroom while leaving the Tribunal de Paris courthouse during the reading of sentencing in their trial verdict on suspicion of embezzlement of European public funds, in Paris, on March 31, 2025 (ALAIN JOCARD / AFP)

A French court sentences far-right leader Marine Le Pen to a five-year ban on running for office with immediate effect, throwing into doubt her bid to stand for president in 2027.

The judge also gives her a four-year prison term, which is to be served with an electronic tag, drawing immediate criticism from her party and other far-right leaders.

Including 56-year-old Le Pen, nine figures from her National Rally (RN) party are convicted over a scheme where they took advantage of European Parliament expenses to employ assistants who were actually working for the party.

Twelve assistants are also convicted of concealing a crime, with the court estimating the scheme was worth 2.9 million euros.

All the RN officials including Le Pen are banned from running for office, with the judge specifying that the sanction should come into force with immediate effect even if an appeal is lodged.

Three-time presidential candidate Le Pen, who sees her best-ever chance of winning the French presidency in 2027, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

She left the courtroom after her conviction and sanction were announced but before the judge announced rulings on a potential prison sentence and fine.

The leader of her National Rally (RN) party, Jordan Bardella, says on X that she was the victim of an “unjust” verdict and added that French democracy was being “executed.”