France's Le Pen Sentenced To 4 Years Prison For Embezzling EU Funds, Banned From Contesting Polls
Marine Le Pen was convicted of embezzlement of public funds, jeopardizing her 2027 presidential hopes. Prosecutors seek a five-year jail term and ban from public office. Le Pen denies wrongdoing.
A French court on Monday convicted far-right leader Marine Le Pen on charges of embezzlement of public funds over a fake jobs scam at the European Parliament and sentenced her to four years prison.
The court also banned Pen from running for office for five years after her conviction, specifying that the sanction should come into force with immediate effect even if an appeal is lodged.
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The ruling could mean that Le Pen will not be able to stand for president in 2027 elections. She left the courtroom after her conviction and this sanction were announced, but before the judge announced rulings on a potential prison sentence and fine
Prosecutors last year asked the court to impose against Le Pen a five-year jail term but also a five-year ban on holding public office to be imposed with immediate effect.
Besides Le Pen, eight leaders from her National Rally (RN) party were convicted for a scheme where they took advantage of European Parliament expenses to employ assistants who were actually working for the party. Twelve assistants were also convicted of concealing a crime, with the court estimating the scheme was worth 2.9 million euros.
Three-time presidential candidate Le Pen, who scents her best-ever chance of winning the French presidency in 2027, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
Le Pen said in a piece for the La Tribune Dimanche newspaper published on Sunday that the verdict gives the “judges the right of life or death over our movement".
Le Pen took over as head of the then-National Front (FN) in 2011 but rapidly took steps towards making the party an electoral force and shaking off the controversial legacy of its co-founder and her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died earlier this year and who was often accused of making racist and anti-Semitic comments.
She renamed it the National Rally and embarked on a policy known as “dediabolisation" (de-demonisation) with the stated aim of making it acceptable to a wider range of voters.
Kremlin, Orban Back Le Pen
Meanwhile, the Kremlin slammed a French court’s ruling to bar far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running for office over a fake jobs scheme.
“More and more European capitals are going down the path of violating democratic norms," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing when asked about the decision.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban voiced support for Marine Le Pen her conviction.
“Je suis Marine!" the nationalist leader posted in French on X after Le Pen’s conviction, which has seen her hit with a four-year prison sentence, to be served with an electronic tag, and a five-year ban from running for office.
(with inputs from AFP)
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