PARIS, July 6: Paris’ appeals court is set to rule Tuesday in Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement case, a decision that could determine whether one of France’s leading presidential contenders can run in next year’s election.
Le Pen, 57, is appealing a March 2025 conviction that found her and other members of her National Rally party guilty of misusing European Parliament funds by paying party staff with money intended for EU parliamentary assistants between 2004 and 2016.
The lower court sentenced her to prison time, suspended pending appeal, and imposed a five-year ban on holding elected office. Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing and still hopes to mount a fourth bid for the presidency.
If she is barred from running, her longtime protégé Jordan Bardella, 30, could instead become the party’s presidential candidate, reshaping the race to succeed Emmanuel Macron.
During the five-week appeal trial earlier this year, Le Pen acknowledged “a mistake.” She told the court some employees paid as EU parliamentary aides performed work for her party but insisted that she believed such work was allowed and never attempted to hide it. (AP)
