Marine Le Pen, founder of the far-right party “National Rally (RN)” in France, was found guilty by the court of embezzling European Parliament funds during her tenure as an MEP from 2004 to 2016. [1], [2], [3].
The decision is immediate, preventing her from running for public office for the next five years, including the 2027 French presidential elections, regardless of whether she appeals.
Le Pen was also sentenced to four years in prison, two of which are suspended, with the remainder to be served under house arrest, along with a €100,000 fine.
She left the court before hearing her full sentence and went to her party’s offices without making any statements.
The National Rally, with Marine Le Pen as the candidate, was at the top of the polls ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.
Meanwhile, the far-right Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, expressed his support by posting “Je suis Marine” on social media.
Eight other former MEPs from the National Rally were also convicted during the same period, with the total embezzled funds benefiting the party. The financial damage is estimated at €4.5 million, and Le Pen, along with 24 party officials, is accused of hiring assistants for the RN but having them paid by the European Parliament.
“The investigations showed that this was not a case of administrative errors, but embezzlement within a system put in place to reduce the party’s expenses,” the judge said in her verdict.
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