A French court has banned far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running for office after convicting her of embezzling public funds in a scheme involving fake jobs at the European Parliament. The ruling effectively blocks her from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
Le Pen, along with eight other members of her National Rally party, was found guilty of using EU parliamentary funds to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016. Prosecutors sought a five-year prison sentence and an immediate five-year ban from public office.
Le Pen, who finished second in the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections, denounced the trial as an attempt to destroy her political future, calling it her “political death.” Her protégé, Jordan Bardella, is seen as a possible successor.
