French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been banned from holding political office for five years after a Paris court found her guilty of embezzling European Union funds, in a ruling that has upended her ambitions for the 2027 presidential race.
Le Pen was also sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended, to be served under house arrest, and fined €100,000 ($108,000). While she has the right to appeal, the ban remains in effect unless overturned.
Her National Rally (RN) party was ordered to pay €2 million in fines for misappropriating €4.1 million in European Parliament funds. The court found that Le Pen and over 20 RN members had used EU money to pay staff who worked for the party in France rather than in European parliamentary roles.
Political Firestorm
The court’s presiding judge, Bénédicte de Perthuis, called the scheme a “serious and lasting attack on the rules of democratic life.” She justified the political ban by citing the “democratic public unrest” that could result from electing a convicted embezzler.
Le Pen’s allies condemned the ruling, with RN leader Jordan Bardella claiming, “It is not just Marine Le Pen being condemned—it is French democracy being executed.” Her niece, MEP Marion Maréchal, called the verdict a politically motivated attack.
Fallout and European Reaction
The conviction has derailed Le Pen’s fourth attempt to win the Élysée Palace, just as she led the polls for 2027. Right-wing European allies, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Italian leader Matteo Salvini, rushed to support her, echoing claims of a “witch hunt.”
As the political storm rages, Le Pen’s future in French politics remains uncertain.
