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A French court delivered a guilty verdict against far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Monday in an embezzlement case, though it did not immediately specify her sentence or the potential consequences for her political career. Sitting in the front row of the Paris courtroom, Le Pen remained expressionless as the chief judge read the decision.
The ruling also found eight other current or former members of her party guilty. Like Le Pen, they previously served as elected lawmakers in the European Parliament.
A Threat to Le Pen’s 2027 Presidential Bid
The most pressing concern for Le Pen is the possibility of being declared ineligible to run for office “with immediate effect,” even if she appeals the ruling. Such a decision could block her from entering the 2027 presidential race, a scenario she has called “political death.”
Le Pen, who finished as the runner-up to President Emmanuel Macron in both the 2017 and 2022 elections, has steadily increased her party’s electoral support in recent years. If barred from running, her natural successor would likely be Jordan Bardella, her 29-year-old protégé and current leader of the National Rally, formerly the National Front.
A Systemic Misuse of EU Funds
The court found that Le Pen’s party engaged in “a system” to misappropriate EU parliamentary funds. Le Pen and 24 other National Rally officials were accused of using money allocated for European Parliament aides to pay staff working for the party between 2004 and 2016, violating EU regulations. Despite the verdict, Le Pen and her co-defendants denied any wrongdoing.
During the nine-week trial, she defended herself by arguing that ineligibility “would have the effect of depriving me of being a presidential candidate” and disenfranchising millions of her supporters.
“There are 11 million people who voted for the movement I represent. So tomorrow, potentially, millions and millions of French people would see themselves deprived of their candidate in the election,” she told the judges.
Potential Sentencing and Next Steps
Prosecutors have recommended a two-year prison sentence and a five-year ineligibility period for Le Pen. The trial revealed that some of the misallocated funds were used to pay for Le Pen’s personal assistant and even her bodyguard, who was previously her father’s security detail.
Le Pen has consistently denied orchestrating a scheme to siphon EU funds, arguing instead that it was legitimate to adjust the work of parliamentary aides to meet the needs of lawmakers, including party-related duties.
With appeals likely, the legal battle is far from over. However, the verdict casts a shadow over Le Pen’s political ambitions, leaving the future of France’s far-right movement uncertain.
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