A Paris court on Monday convicted popular right wing leader Marine Le Pen on charges of embezzling public funds in connection with a fake jobs scam at the European Union Parliament, but has yet to announce the sentence.
Le Pen and her associates were accused of diverting EU Parliament funds meant for parliamentary aides to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016. The conviction has raised doubts over her potential candidacy in the 2027 French Presidential election.
The prosecution alleged that funds meant for official parliamentary work were used to pay her National Rally party staff based in France, violating EU regulations.
According to reports, prosecutors have recommended a five-year suspended prison sentence along with a 300,000 euros ($324,000) fine.
They have also sought an immediate five-year ban on holding public office, which, if upheld by the court, would prevent Le Pen, who has been a presidential candidate for three years, from contesting the next presidential election.
The proposed ban would take effect immediately, even if Le Pen chooses to appeal, significantly altering the political landscape as she is currently considered a strong contender for the presidency.
Le Pen, head of the National Rally party, has dismissed the charges, insisting that the case is “politically motivated”.
She had labelled it as an attempt to undermine her electoral prospects, warning before the verdict that a guilty ruling could mark her “political death”.
Emphasising the potential impact of the verdict, she stated, “There are 11 million people who voted for the movement I represent”, and any such ruling could leave several French people seeing themselves “deprived of their candidate in the election.”
Having finished as the runner-up to President Emmanuel Macron in both 2017 and 2022, Le Pen has seen a steady rise in her party’s support.
If she is ultimately barred from running, her protege, 29-year-old Jordan Bardella, is widely expected to step in as the party’s presidential candidate.
