Marine Le Pen Convicted, Banned From 2027 Presidential Race

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for political office for five years after being found guilty of embezzling European Union (EU) funds, a politically explosive ruling that has crushed her hopes of winning the 2027 French presidential election.

Le Pen will be holding a position in a penitentiary. I Photo: Marine Le Pen Facebook

A Paris court sentenced Le Pen, the frontrunner for the next election, to four years in prison, with two years suspended, to be served under house arrest, along with a €100,000 ($108,000) fine, CNN reported.

Her party, National Rally (RN), was also fined €2 million for its role in the €4.1 million embezzlement scandal.

The court’s presiding judge, Bénédicte de Perthuis, stated that Le Pen’s actions constituted a “serious and lasting attack on the rules of democratic life in Europe, particularly in France.” 

She justified the immediate ban on Le Pen’s candidacy by citing the “democratic public unrest” that could arise if a person convicted of embezzlement were elected.

Le Pen denounced the ruling as a “purely political decision” during an appearance on French TV station TF1 on Monday evening. Her lawyer confirmed that she would file an appeal.