The Paris Criminal Court sentenced the former president of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen, to four years in prison, including two years in prison, and deprived her of the right to engage in political activity for five years, which jeopardizes her participation in the 2027 presidential election.
Thus, she was found guilty of misappropriation of public funds in the case of parliamentary assistants of the National Front (now the National Organization), Ukrinform reports, citing Le Monde.
According to the decision, two years of imprisonment can be replaced by wearing an electronic bracelet. Le Pen also has to pay a fine of 100,000 euros.
According to the prosecution’s motion, Le Pen’s disqualification from political activity will apply immediately after the conviction, including in the event of an appeal.
Although the ideological leader of the far-right retains her mandate as a member of parliament, the National Assembly, the political consequences of this decision are inevitable – she will not be able to run in any elections for five years, including the presidential elections in 2027.
In addition to Le Pen, 8 other MEPs were found guilty of misappropriating public funds. The court estimated the total damage at 2.9 million euros, which the European Parliament paid to people who actually worked for the party. The National Front party (now the National Union) itself was fined EUR 2 million, of which EUR 1 million was a fine and EUR 1 million was confiscated during the investigation.
As Ukrinform reported, on Monday, September 30, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen will appear before the Paris Criminal Court.
Photo: Thomas Hubert/Sipa
Source: Le Pen sentenced to prison and barred from politics until 2030
