French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has vowed to appeal a “politically” motivated court sentence that bars her from standing in France’s next presidential election.
The leader of France’s far-right movement was convicted of embezzlement for her role in a scheme that siphoned off millions of euro in EU funding to finance the salaries of national party staff.
Ms Le Pen was the front runner heading into France’s next presidential election, due to be held in early 2027.
A Paris court on Monday convicted her and several other figures in her anti-immigrant National Rally of financing domestic party activities in France with European Parliament funding meant to pay the salaries of MEPs’ assistants.
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The criminal court handed the far-right leader a two-year prison sentence, which the judge said she could serve at home wearing an electronic tag. A further two years was suspended. Ms Le Pen was also ordered to pay a €100,000 fine and was barred from running for public office for five years.
The ban on standing for election is immediate, but the other elements of the sentence take effect only after appeals have been exhausted.
Ms Le Pen said she would appeal the court decision, but it is unclear whether this process will conclude before the presidential election in two years’ time.
Currently leading opinion polls, Ms Le Pen had seen the 2027 presidential vote as the moment the far right might finally upend the French political system. President Emmanuel Macron cannot stand for a third consecutive term.
Ms Le Pen has unsuccessfully run for the presidency three times since taking over what was then the National Front from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011. The party was renamed National Rally in 2018.
Speaking on Monday evening, Ms Le Pen criticised the “political” motives behind the court case. She told French broadcaster TF1 her appeal would be instigated “as soon as possible” and she would fight the efforts to “eliminate” her from the presidential race.
Right-wing supporters of Ms Le Pen in Europe and the US condemned the court’s decision. Elon Musk, an ally of US president Donald Trump, said on X: “When the radical left can’t win via democratic vote, they abuse the legal system to jail their opponents.” Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, posted: “Je suis Marine!”
Jordan Bardella, her 29-year-old protege, is seen as a likely successor to Ms Le Pen.
Allegations the far-right party was misusing EU funds to pay “fictitious” assistants who did not actually work in the European Parliament were first made in 2014, kicking off a series of investigations.
