The leader of the French far right Marine Le Pen is prevented from looking for public functions for the diversion – The Mercury News

By Sylvie Corbet | Associated Press

PARIS – A French court prohibited Monday on Marine Le Pen from requesting a public service for five years, with an immediate effect, for the embezzlement of funds – a hammer blow to the presidential hopes of the far right chief.

Although it can appeal the verdict, such a decision does not suspend ineligibility – which could exclude it outside the 2027 presidential race.

Le Pen left the Palais de Justice de Paris in Grande height without stopping to speak to journalists and rose in a car that hunted it.

Earlier on Monday, from the first row of the court, Le Pen showed no immediate reaction when the judge declared him guilty. But she became more agitated over the procedure. She nodded several times in disagreement while the judge was in more detail with the verdict, saying that Le Pen’s party had illegally used the European Parliament for his own advantage. “Incredible,” she whispered at some point.

The judge also made the verdicts of guilt to eight other current or former members of his party who, like her, were previously the legislators of the European Parliament.

Le Pen and his co-accused are in prison up to 10 years in prison. They can appeal, which would lead to another trial.

Political death scenario

The penalty prevents her from presenting herself to the presidency in 2027. She described such a scenario as a “political death”.

The verdict promises to be a resounding defeat for Le Pen and his party. In addition to seeing her, she and eight other former European legislators, guilty of embezzlement of public funds, the court also condemned 12 other people who served as parliamentary aid for Le Pen and what is now the national rally party, formerly the National Front.

The judge said the Pen had been at the heart of a “system” that his party used to siphon money from the EU. The judge said the Pen and other co-accused were not enriched personally. But the decision described the embezzlement of funds as “a democratic puncture” which deceived Parliament and the voters.

Le Pen and 24 other officials of the national rally were accused of having used money intended for EU parliamentary aid to pay the staff who worked for the party between 2004 and 2016, in violation of the 27 -country block regulation. Le Pen and his co-accused have denied reprehensible acts.

Le Pen appreciated growing support

Le Pen, 56, was a finalist to President Emmanuel Macron in the 2017 presidential elections and 2022, and the electoral support of his party has increased in recent years.

During the trial of nine weeks which took place at the end of 2024, it argued that ineligibility “would have the effect of depriving me of being candidate for the presidential election” and of depriving her supporters.

“There are 11 million people who voted for the movement that I represent. So, tomorrow, potentially, millions and millions of French people would be deprived of their candidate in the elections,” she told the panel of three judges.

The apparent natural successor of the PEN in the 2027 elections would be Jordan Bardella, the 29 -year -old Pen protégé who succeeded him at the head of the party in 2021.

Le Pen denied the accusations that she was at the head of the system intended to siphon money from the EU Parliament for the benefit of her party, that she led from 2011 to 2021. She rather argued that it was acceptable to adapt the work of the aid paid by the European Parliament to the needs of the legislators, including certain political works related to the party.

Hearings have shown that EU money was used to pay Le Pen’s bodyguard – which was once his father’s bodyguard – as well as his personal assistant.

Prosecutors asked for a sentence of two years in prison and a period of ineligibility at five years for Le Pen.

Le Pen said that she thought they were “interested” in preventing him from presenting himself to the presidency.

Originally published: March 31, 2025 at 4:06 PDT