French far-right politician Marine Le Pen’s path to the Élysée Palace has hit a major roadblock.
A Paris court has convicted her of embezzlement and barred her from holding public office for the next five years, potentially preventing her from running in the 2027 presidential election, where polls had positioned her as the frontrunner.
In a lengthy hearing that saw rulings handed down against 20 former lawmakers and aides of Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party, the court sentenced the 56-year-old politician to four years in prison—two of which are suspended—and fined her approximately €100,000 ($108.000). Le Pen was present at the start of the proceedings but left the courtroom before the verdict was read in full.
Investigators found that between 2004 and 2016, RN misused over €4 million ($4.3 million) in European Parliament funds to pay staff who primarily worked for the party in France. EU regulations stipulate that such funds must be used strictly for parliamentary duties.
Le Pen’s defense team has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the contested practices were common within European politics and accusing the judiciary of politically motivated prosecution. Her party announced it would appeal the ruling.
The case first emerged in 2015 when then-European Parliament President Martin Schulz flagged irregularities in the use of EU funds. Other French parties, including the centrist MoDem, have faced similar investigations, though the charges against them were deemed less systematic.
The court’s decision does not affect Le Pen’s current mandate in the National Assembly, but it bars her from running in future elections. If the appeal process upholds the conviction, RN will need to find a new candidate for 2027, with 29-year-old Jordan Bardella emerging as a likely contender.
Bardella, who officially took over as RN president from Le Pen in November 2022, condemned the verdict. “This is not just an unjust sentence against Marine Le Pen—it is an attack on French democracy,” he wrote on social media.
“This is clearly politically driven. We are far beyond a mere application of the law,” RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli told reporters outside the courtroom.
Support for Le Pen poured in from allies abroad. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, founder of the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, which includes RN, posted on X: “Je suis Marine!” Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, of the far-right League, also denounced the ruling, calling it “a declaration of war from Brussels at a time when the warmongering impulses of Von der Leyen and Macron are terrifying.”
Even the Kremlin weighed in, labeling Le Pen’s conviction “a violation of democratic norms.” A French parliamentary report published in June 2023 had described RN as a “privileged communication channel” for Moscow.
A poll published by the Journal du Dimanche last Saturday placed Le Pen as the clear leader for 2027, with 37% support—10 points higher than her first-round result in 2022, when she lost to Emmanuel Macron in the runoff. Former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, leading a moderate coalition aligned with Macron, trails far behind at 25%.
An appeals trial could take at least a year, possibly pushing a final ruling close to the 2027 election. If Le Pen loses again, her legal team could escalate the case to the Court of Cassation, which could either overturn or uphold the decision.
Le Pen has long claimed she is the target of a political witch hunt, arguing that the judiciary is undermining her legitimacy. She has particularly questioned the independence of prosecutors, calling the political ban “an assault on democracy.”
The verdict could also resonate in the United States. At the most recent Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance criticized European governments for restricting far-right parties, particularly in Romania. However, it remains unclear whether potential backing from the MAGA movement would benefit Le Pen or an alternative RN candidate in 2027.
