Key facts
- Marine Le Pen's eligibility to run for the French presidency in 2027 hinges on a Paris appeal court verdict.
- The court will rule on an embezzlement conviction related to the misuse of €1.4m in European Parliament funds.
- A previous ruling barred Le Pen from public office for five years and imposed a four-year jail term.
- Le Pen argues she cannot campaign effectively if required to wear an electronic tag.
- Jordan Bardella, the party chairman, is being considered as a potential substitute candidate.
Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's National Rally party, awaits a crucial verdict from the Paris appeal court on Tuesday that will determine her eligibility to run for president in the 2027 elections. The court is set to rule on an embezzlement conviction from March 2025, where she was found guilty of misusing €1.4 million in European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016 to pay party employees. The original verdict resulted in a five-year ban from holding public office and a four-year jail sentence, with two years suspended and two to be served at home with an electronic tag.
During the appeal, Le Pen denied orchestrating the scheme but acknowledged a "mistake" that benefited the party. Prosecutors are seeking to uphold the original ban and jail term, with a recommendation for one year served via electronic tag and three years suspended. Le Pen has stated that she cannot effectively run for president if she is required to wear an electronic tag, as it would restrict her movement. If barred from running, her party chairman, Jordan Bardella, is positioned as a potential substitute candidate, with polls suggesting he could perform comparably to Le Pen in the first round.
Le Pen, who has run for president three times previously and came second to Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and 2022, has portrayed herself as a victim of selective justice. However, the original trial judges found her to be "at the heart" of the fake jobs scheme. The possible verdicts range from acquittal, which is considered unlikely, to a guilty verdict with a ban exceeding two years, which would automatically disqualify her. A reduced ban of two years or less would allow her to run. Le Pen has indicated she would not appeal to France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, if found guilty, though prosecutors could still pursue such an appeal. She plans to announce her intentions on French television following the verdict. Several other National Rally members also appealed their convictions related to the same case.