Trial in France Marine Le Pen is no longer eligible for election and gets a long prison sentence

Marine Le Pen has been convicted in a trial for sham employment. The verdict ends the French right-wing populist's political career for the time being. She will not be allowed to stand in the 2027 presidential election.

French right-wing populist Marine Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday for embezzling public funds during her time as an MEP, reports the AFP news agency. Two of these are suspended and the remaining two are to be served by wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, as the judge in Paris ruled on Monday.

The court also imposed the penalty of temporary ineligibility for political office. The ban on standing in elections applies with immediate effect for a period of five years - even in the event that Le Pen appeals. A fine of 100,000 euros was also imposed.

The politician left the courtroom even before the presiding judge announced the full verdict and the full penalty against Le Pen. The verdict can be appealed. However, it is generally considered unlikely that an appeal process would lead to a quick result.

The trial against Le Pen and 24 other defendants for embezzling EU funds has made waves in France and Europe, as the NZZ writes.

In the last presidential election in 2022, Marine Le Pen received the support of four out of ten French people in the second round of voting. Current polls show that she could achieve 37% of the vote in the first round, making her one of the strongest contenders for the presidency. However, the ongoing trial has thwarted her ambitions.

Demand: five years in prison and a fine of 300,000 euros

The prosecution had accused Le Pen and her party, the Rassemblement National, of misappropriating EU funds for parliamentary assistants. In reality, these assistants are said to have carried out internal party tasks in Paris. Between 2004 and 2016, the party is said to have embezzled 4.6 million euros in this way. The public prosecutor's office is demanding a five-year prison sentence, a fine of 300,000 euros and a five-year ban from holding public office.

The evidence seems overwhelming: internal documents, witness statements and e-mail correspondence support the allegations of sham employment. Le Pen denies the accusations and sees herself as the victim of politically motivated proceedings. Her defense argues that the tasks of assistants are not clearly defined, but the EU regulations are unambiguous.

The court's ruling has far-reaching consequences. Although an appeal normally has suspensive effect in France, the court ruled that the judgment is immediately enforceable. Marine Le Pen will in all likelihood not be able to run in the 2027 presidential election.

Le Pen has always denied the accusations in the affair surrounding the possible bogus employment of EU employees. "I do not feel that I have committed the slightest irregularity, the slightest illegality," she said during the trial.

Possible successor to Le Pen

Within her Rassemblement National party, however, there is already a possible successor in Jordan Bardella. The 29-year-old party leader has so far been cautious about his own presidential ambitions, but his recently published biography points to a possible candidacy. Bardella already enjoys popular support, but the party has so far avoided discussions about a replacement for Le Pen.

Despite the trial, public support for Le Pen and her party does not appear to be waning. The Rassemblement National is benefiting from dissatisfaction with the traditional parties and Emmanuel Macron's policies. The nationalists are very popular in rural areas, and Le Pen's portrayal as the victim of a political conspiracy seems to resonate with her supporters.

Le Pen wanted to run for the presidential election for the fourth time in 2027

Le Pen's right-wing nationalist party is on the rise in France and is now more strongly represented in parliament than ever before. The far-right Front National, founded by her recently deceased father Jean-Marie, renamed Marine Le Pen Rassemblement National in 2018 and renounced overly radical positions in order to make it electable among broader sections of the population.

Le Pen originally wanted to become president in 2027 at the fourth attempt. If her party had also won the subsequent parliamentary election, the plan was to make RN leader Jordan Bardella prime minister.

This article was written with the help of AI and updated after initial publication. With agency material.