On January 13, the leader of the French National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, appeared before the Paris Court of Appeal. The politician is appealing a verdict in a case concerning the embezzlement of European Parliament funds, which affects her right to run for president of France in 2027. This is reported by AP, writes UNN.
Details
57-year-old Le Pen is trying to overturn a first-instance court decision from March 2025. At that time, she was found guilty of creating a system of fictitious hiring of assistants for MEPs between 2004 and 2016. According to the investigation, EU funds were used to pay party employees who worked for France's domestic political needs, rather than for the European Parliament's institutions.
I would like to tell the court that... we did not feel that we had committed any wrongdoing
She added that European Parliament officials at the time did not warn about violations of hiring rules: "We never hid anything." For his part, the European Parliament's lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, questioned these arguments, noting that the defense simultaneously denies the court the right to examine the work of parliamentarians and criticizes the institution for "insufficient consideration" of contracts.
Political risks and possible scenarios
The current verdict includes a five-year ban from holding elected office, two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet, and a fine of 100,000 euros. If the appeal does not change the verdict, Le Pen will not be able to participate in the 2027 presidential race, where she was considered one of the favorites.
In the event of a repeat conviction, the punishment could be increased to 10 years in prison and a fine of 1 million euros. However, there is also a scenario in which the term of the ban on participating in elections will be shortened, which would theoretically allow her to register as a candidate.
The appeal hearing will last five weeks, and the final decision is expected closer to the summer of 2026. While the process is ongoing, the National Rally party is led by Jordan Bardella, who is considered Le Pen's likely successor if she is permanently removed from the political arena.